


Two Bees by a Lighthouse

by TheMightyVelociruby



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fantasy, Lighthouse, Nudity, Scotland, Selkie!Blake, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:48:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 38,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27586310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMightyVelociruby/pseuds/TheMightyVelociruby
Summary: Spending her life traveling without any true purpose, Yang Xiao Long finds herself working as a lighthouse keeper off the coast of Scotland. Before she leaves, Yang finds a strange and ailing woman, taking her in to get her back to health. The mystery person, Blake, turns Yang’s reality on its head when she finds out Blake’s a selkie, a folk creature which takes the form of both human and seal. Told that someone forcibly stole her sealskin, Yang promises to help take it back even when the culprit comes up to her doorstep.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 5
Kudos: 79
Collections: Bumbleby Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ownership:  
> RWBY is owned by creator Monty Oum, God rest his soul, and Rooster Teeth Productions.
> 
> I, the humble author of this fan-work, own absolutely nothing, gain no profit whatsoever, and wish only to express my writing and love for these fandoms artistically.
> 
> [—————]
> 
> Here’s the link to my artist’s work!! https://cinderteeth.tumblr.com/post/634917174612508672/hello-there-i-was-parnered-in-the-2020-bumbleby

The entire sky was a blank grey canvas, the clouds so blended together that not a single ray of sunshine was visible. The sea was almost still, few waves crashed into the rocky cliffs, and the water a sickeningly dark color. Life in this area isn’t very remarkable – grass and lichens grew atop the rocks, some unseen fish of all kinds that lived deep in the ocean, and many seagulls that flew about so haughtily. Everything was covered by fog, thin enough to see through it but not at a distance too far.

Essentially, it was a typical environment in the old country of Scotland. No place in the world was duller than here, a land that has hardly changed over the course of time. While these dark cliffs became what they are over years of geological formation, the only marks of humanity’s influence are but a few structures. The first was a small maritime dock built over a small beach, made for the occasional fishing boat or some other average vessel. The second an astoundingly old lighthouse, the only building within several miles, which overlooked the murky sea from the cliffs. 

Obviously, it had been constructed to guide ships through the night, a former route for sea travel laid before the lighthouse. From first glance it looked to be clearly abandoned; few ships ever came by here now, the building in evident need of repair and maintenance, and the light upon it never seemed to be lit. However, with the few ships that did go along this old route, they reported that the lighthouse did not fail to alight their path. Locals who came by these cliffs by chance believed the building haunted, but that was not the truth in any way.

The old lighthouse did indeed have a “wickie,” a lone lighthouse keeper, who tended to the tower as best as they could and lit the lamp whenever needed. No one knew who this person was, and no one seemed to care, so no one looked into it. If any of the Scots did try to find out though, they might be surprised to find that the keeper was not one of them. All alone in that lighthouse was a young woman, who traveled all the way from America and ended up here, for what reason even she didn’t know.

This was her story. It was not about the lighthouse she watched over or the country; it was about a normal woman, whose personal history led her to be in a peculiar situation like this. It was a story that does not seem to be any more special than another’s life. Although, that wasn’t all there was to this tale, as the heroine had yet to meet someone who was not normal like her.

[—————]

Yang Xiao Long woke up to the unwelcome sound of her alarm clock, the consistent mechanical beep a blight on her ears. With a groan she groggily reached for her source of disturbance and clicked on the right button to make it silent. Although the thought of a longer sleep pleased her, the mere fact that she was awake meant that she could not. All the years she would wake up early to care for family made her into a morning person, to her chagrin.

She sat straight up, let loose a lengthy yawn, stretched her arms out to as far as they could, and got out of the bed, headed for the bathroom adjacent to her bedroom. Yang stumbled into an old and uncleanly and diminutive room, just barely able to serve her needs with a sink, a bathtub, a latrine, and running water.

As she went inside and closed the door behind her, Yang came face to face with the smeared, dirty mirror, as she had before for the past few months. Tan skin painted with freckles, rounded eyes that had the same color as lilac flowers, and golden hair as profuse and royal as a lion’s mane. Every day she saw herself in this mirror, and every day she saw the frown & feeling of dissatisfaction that marked her features. She wasn’t sure if it was the mirror that made her appear so or the fact she felt so unfulfilled, ever since she’s lived on her own.

After she took care of business then got dressed, she took the flight of stairs down to the first floor, walked through her small living room and went into the kitchen to make breakfast – or rather just attained it, as all she ate was just an apple. She didn’t have much time or care for food once her workday began. Finally, she went through the backdoor at the other end of the kitchen.

She exited the small house; Yang was immediately confronted by the familiar fog here. Her eyes are met by the blank grey sky she was used to, she felt the damp soil and grass under her shoes, and the echoes of seagulls filled her ears. Oh, she’s explicitly familiar with the apparent gloom of Scotland’s coasts, but not a single day had she gotten used to the atmosphere let alone enjoy it. Fresh air was always a good thing to take in but by god would she love to be anywhere else, particularly somewhere sunny.

This old country did not grant Yang that luxury, though. All it had given her was the unpleasantness of the rocky cliffs and vast seas, the gloom of the dull weather, and the place where she worked – the lighthouse. With a sigh, she strolled over to the old tower. 

[—————]

The lighthouse, as Yang had been informed when she first arrived here, was one of the last of its generation, built at the end of the eighteenth century. Her employers claimed that this structure served honorably to guide numerous ships that passed by here or where lost. For just under three hundred years the lighthouse existed, still completed its function to this day, and Yang was the latest to take up the role of its keeper. Frankly, she would have understood fine, without their dramatizations, that she had to care for a rundown tower.

Her job, as explained to her, was to keep the tower in the best shape possible, clean the building or organize its contents, and report if anything needed immediate repair or not. Her other tasks were to safely check the ocean water for temperature or pollutants, study the rocks or observe the wildlife. On occasion, to receive food or deliver reports, she would indeed turn on the tower’s light to guide any ship that came to dock. Although the employers claimed that the lighthouse was still suitable to live in, she opted to live in the guest house a few feet away. Built in the 1970s, it was intended to provide lighthouse keepers a more familiar and comfortable living experience.

Yang remembered that around three weeks ago since she worked here, she was already bored. She thought she would die of monotony if nothing of interest appeared. However, she did see one ship that was not clearly sent by the employers that appeared here. It was a fishing boat from what she could tell, not a very impressive one she thought but she did wonder why it came through here. The fog was particularly thick that day; when Yang realized the ship floated still in the water, its helmsman most likely blind, she rushed up to the top of the lighthouse and lit its lamp. Once lit, the ship took a moment before it moved along the sea and disappeared.

It had not really been that much of an excitement in hindsight, but Yang remembered something peculiar about that ship. As that boat turned and the port side pointed in her direction, she saw something hoisted up from the vessel’s mast. The fog mostly covered it, so she could only make it out as some dark mass. She couldn’t tell for the life of her what it was. She never saw any large fish appear here, let along caught by a fisher, so she ruled out that possibility.

She could not decipher what she saw, and the ship’s leave did not help. She didn’t know why, and she still did not, but for some reason she felt anguished to see it go. As if something called to her when she saw that shape aboard the boat, a force pulled her to it. However, whatever that feeling had been was not strong enough to make her do anything. She only anxiously watched the ship disappear behind the fog, and the feeling eventually passed.

Now she’s lived at this lighthouse for just over three entire months and experienced nothing like that since. Perplexed by that odd sensation did nothing for her while stuck in this accursed tower. Twenty five years of her life felt like they were all wastefully spent, which led up to this dreadful job. If someone told her that this would be where her life led to, she would not have believed them.

However, whether Yang did hypothetically believe that or not, anywhere would be better than where she was born. Anywhere would be better than a place where she would feel nothing but lonesomeness. All the memories where she stood on her own to fight the feelings of abandonment, was a subject she’d definitely prefer to bury than to ever speak of or experience again. So yes, she did prefer to work at this lighthouse than to visit her home, and if she did quit this job then she would just go somewhere else, somewhere farther.

The blonde pondered her life and her choices while on a self-imposed break, she sat outside in a foldable chair and watched the waves from the cliffs. She still did not find any joy in this gloomy land, but she found the sea to be quite calm to watch. When she felt that she did enough for a moment after she worked, she’d come out to observe the dark ocean, which put her at ease.

Despite how calm the water made her feel, the thought of her past caused tension. Currently she believed there was nothing left there for her but sore recollections, and she wanted anything more than to remember what those memories provoked from her. Especially how she felt with her mother–

The ring of a cellphone interrupted Yang’s train of thought. Somehow she managed to get reception all the way out here, at the edge of this country, which she was extremely thankful for otherwise she’d be bored to death in this place. She pulled out her phone and looked at the screen to see who the caller’s ID was.

It was her little sister, Ruby. With a sigh Yang answered and brought the phone to her ear.

“Hey Rubes,” she greeted with a tone as cheerful as she could muster.

“Yang? Is that you?” came from the phone.

“Who else would it be?” said Yang, puzzled.

“Sorry, it’s hard to hear you.”

“Hold on, I’ll go inside.” With that she stood up and headed for the lighthouse, just twenty some feet behind her.

Inside, she’s met by the old rust brown color of the tower’s interior. On the ground floor Yang encountered the storage room – in the time this tower was relevant, it was used for provisions, water, and coal, all used for multiple purposes. Now, it was little more than a cavern, nothing used or kept on this empty floor. Yang stared at it with a moderate discomfort but kept focus on her phone call.

“Can you hear me better?” Yang asked.

“Oh yeah, better now,” Ruby replied. “What the heck was going on outside?” she referred to the interference from earlier.

“I dunno, it must’ve been the wind,” Yang presumed. “What’s up?”

“Just checking in, are you still working at that lighthouse?”

“Yeah,” Yang replied. As the conversation continued she walked up the tower’s ancient spiral staircase. “It’s been… something, to say the least.”

“Really? You haven’t been bored, like you said you would be?” Ruby allegedly recalled.

“Oh no, I have been,” Yang affirmed. “Just not as much as I thought I’d be.”

“Have you been keeping yourself busy? Getting sleep and exercise? Have you been getting enough food? Have your bosses been sending you food???”

“Jeez, Ruby! I’m fine!” Yang exclaimed with a chuckle. “No need to nag me about it.”

_You sound like Mom_ , Yang wanted to say, but she kept that to herself. The sentiment would have been nice to hear, but the mere mention of Mom would be too much to bear.

“Oh sorry, haha,” said Ruby. “I just want to make sure you’re not dying there.”

“I know, I know,” Yang affirmed. As she talked to Ruby, Yang reached the tower’s second floor.

This was where the lighthouse’s oil room was located. Intended for storage like the room below, it was where the oil to light the tower’s lamp was stockpiled. The smell of the oil reminded Yang of how she preferred to live in the guesthouse in favor of this place. As she still had yet to reach her destination, she continued to walk up the stairs.

“How’s the inventor-life treating you?” Yang asked her sibling.

“Oh God, it’s fantastic!” Ruby proclaimed excitedly. “I’ve been designing so many machines and prosthetics! Like, just the other day I was examining some engines–!”

“That’s pretty cool Rubes,” Yang commented, her words lost among Ruby’s excitement.

As she listened to younger sister, Yang passed the lighthouse’s kitchen on the third floor. It was grimy and crude in a few places, but still astoundingly operational. She would only use this kitchen for an emergency, her employers told her, who warned that it could possibly blow up on her if she’d ever use it. Though it only appeared to need a deep cleaning, she did not think to test its limits… for now. She disregarded it at the moment and continued to go up the stairs.

“… And that’s how I saved cars from potentially exploding in the future!” Ruby finished her extravagant tale of technology.

“Well damn, aren’t you some prodigy,” remarked Yang in praise of her, which earned a modest laugh from Ruby. “Last time I saw you, you didn’t even want to be known for your tinkering.”

“Yeah, I remember,” said Ruby with a snort. “You tried to encourage me by saying that everyone would think I’m the ‘bees’ knees.’”

“And you said you just wanted to be a ‘normal girl with normal knees,’” Yang recalled fondly.

“Well, that normal girl’s now the world’s youngest and smartest inventor,” her sister humbly proclaimed.

“Heck yeah you are!” Yang asserted confidently. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Oh, hey, uh… speaking of life and whatever,” Ruby fumbled in what she’s about to proclaim. “… There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Oh? What’s up?” as she waited for what Ruby would say, Yang had reached her destination on the fourth floor – the bedroom. 

The room’s no bigger than the others below or above, which contained only a bunk bed-like structure and a nightstand. The bed in the guest house was more comfortable, but the one here provided her some relief and rest when she felt overworked on some days. As Yang waited for what Ruby was about to spill, she plopped down onto the bottom bunk and adjusted her position to sit as contentedly as possible.

“So, I kinda saved up enough to buy a couple plane tickets,” Ruby explained, some hesitance in her tone. “And… I’m thinking of visiting our old home and seeing Dad.”

“… Ok?” Yang replied questionably. She had not expected to be told that, but she figured that there was more to what her only sibling would say. “That’s what you wanted to tell me? Fine, go ahead, I’m not in charge of you sis.”

“… Yang… I said I could buy a _couple_ tickets.” There it was, what she was reluctant to say.

“… You want me to come with you,” Yang distastefully deduced.

“Yang, listen to me–!”

“The answer’s no,” she interrupted.

“Yang!” Ruby protested.

“What?!” Yang retorted. “I’m not going back. I don’t see why I should anyway.”

She heard a heavy sigh from the other end. 

“Yang, I think it will be good for us to visit,” Ruby discussed. “Not stay, we have our own lives, but definitely visit!”

“Why?” the blonde questioned.

“Because… well, it’d be good for Dad to see us again,” her sister replied. “Both of us.”

“I can’t see why,” Yang stubbornly countered. “He’s never needed us before.”

“Yes, he has,” Ruby insisted. “He’s… I know he’s left us to fend for ourselves, and he shouldn’t have, but… it’s not his fault for what happened.”

With that, Yang released a strongly withheld sigh. “I know, I know.”

Yang & Ruby’s father, Taiyang, was a kind, outgoing, and comedic man. Despite what happened, Yang kept some memories of their father deep in her heart. Though she was young she remembered how her father and mother – step-mother specifically – were a source of strength for her.

However, that was the past. After what happened to their mother, Taiyang had entered an extremely depressive state. As a result of that, he somewhat neglected Yang and Ruby, even when the latter was barely a toddler no more. Although support to raise the sisters from outside was given, Yang took care of herself and Ruby most of the time. She would try to make food, do chores, and everything else an adult parent would do for the family’s sake. She sacrificed her childhood, which she shouldn’t have done, so that Ruby could have a normal one, or as close to it as possible.

Eventually, Taiyang got out of his gloom and regained his stride. He managed to return to be a proper father for them; he expressed regret for his actions and promised to make it up to them. Ruby was happy at the time, elated that the man was not a moody lump in their home anymore. Yang on the other hand, who welcomed her father back at first, grew resentful. For her, she felt abandoned by three people in a row and she was skeptical to have one come back in her life. Not to mention she was already used to her independence, and she believed she preferred it.

Almost immediately after she turned eighteen, Yang moved out of the house. They lived in the middle of the United States; she traveled east and took as many jobs as she could to survive and would quit them as soon as she’d been hired. She wanted a life where she could do nothing but travel, go on adventures and see where life would take her, and had just started it. At one point, after seven years of this, she eventually got to a point she was severely in need of house and food. It was by chance that she received such an opportunity. 

An open position for a lighthouse keeper, all the way in Scotland. Frankly, she was even luckier that the employers were keen (albeit begrudgingly) to pay for her ticket. Now she’s been here for a few months, all part of her unwillingness to confront and make peace with her family. To her chagrin, her troubles have caught up to her, they had waited long enough for her fated return.

“… I know it wasn’t his fault,” Yang admitted, the short silence that formed between them now broken. “I never thought it was his fault… but that doesn’t change what he did to us. Or, didn’t do for us, I guess.”

“Yeah, I know Dad wasn’t there when he should’ve been,” Ruby acknowledged sympathetically. “But he’s a good person and a good dad. He’s made up for lost time years ago! Even when you… left.”

Yang did not respond to that; she knew that Ruby harbored some particular opinions about her decisions. She knew she took a risk when she left her behind, but she believed at the time it was her right to live on her own. Although, with how her sister felt about what she’s done, Yang regretted how she didn’t think how her actions affected her sister. She mirthlessly wondered if neglect and abandonment ran in the family.

“… Well, whatever, not the topic at hand,” Ruby dismissed it. “Dad just wants to catch up with us and I think it will be good for all of us. I mean, you’re not gonna stay in a lighthouse for the rest of your life are you? Hah.”

“… I’ll think about it, okay?” Yang replied. “I’ll think about it.”

“Great!” Ruby exclaimed. “That’s all I ask you to do!”

Yang gave a slight chuckle to that, “Okay, okay. I’ll talk to you later Rubes.”

“Alright,” said Ruby. “Later, Yang!”

With that Yang hung up her phone, then flopped down onto the bed. Though she would hate to admit it, conversations with Ruby exhausted her every now and then. Ruby’s vigorous energy and constant excitement to back up her vast intellect could leave anyone drained after just one exchange with her. Either way, Yang wouldn’t have her sister change that part of her in any way conceivable.

As she laid on the sheet-covered mattress, she contemplated what she would do. Frankly, she would very much not want to go back home at all, even for just a visit. However, it was not because she felt she hadn't done her travels yet, but that she hadn’t found her purpose yet. Her journey had given her nothing, no true insight or wisdom, and she did not want to go back until she found that satisfaction. The problem was that the only way she knew how to find it was to travel even more.

With that taken into consideration, she realized that Ruby was right about one thing: she didn’t want to live in a lighthouse any longer, let alone for the rest of her life.

[—————]

Yang finished her work for the day once night came, the grey sky had turned darker; no ships came and nothing alarmed her about the ocean’s condition, as per usual. She made her dinner when she returned to the guest house, some unremarkable meal she would not care for but would make again tomorrow for efficiency’s sake. She went up to the second floor, cleaned up and took care of business in the bathroom, and put on her night wear for bed. Even at night she found no joy in anything leisurely before she went to sleep.

Although, the urgent matter of what to do with her future had taken over her after the phone call. She couldn’t go to sleep while this was on her mind now, not when she had to think of a plan. She did not know how long she had before she must take the next step in her life. However, although she did not have a clear picture in her mind of what was to come, she did know what she planned to do. So, she made up her mind on what she could do.

She sat down at the kitchen table, the only stable place to work in the house, and wrote a letter. It was to her employers for the lighthouse, the only way she was informed how to contact them, to tell them she decided to resign. She was clear and concise as she stated how the job has provided her no pleasure, joy, or excitement, and ultimately wished to quit the job. Done and happy with what she produced, Yang sealed it in an envelope and left it at the table, so she’d remember to deliver it once the next food delivery docked here.

Now with her task completed, all she had left to do was ponder what she would do once free. Would she go back to the States? Perhaps, she was more familiar with the country she was born in, even if it wasn’t a good one. 

Would she reunite with her father & Ruby? She doubted it; she didn’t feel ready to see him again, let alone want to, so she concluded she needed more time before she would do that. 

What would she do next? She did not have a clue, in all honesty.

Either way, she did not have the time now to think about it – a growing tiredness, a need for sleep, overwhelmed her. She went up the stairs and back into the bedroom, turned off the last light in the house, and got under the bedsheets. Her head laid on the pillow, Yang wondered what could happen to her next after she’d send her letter for a few more moments, then finally let sleep take her.

[—————]

Four days have passed, and no ship had come here.

Yang waited for a ship from her employers’ organization to come, so that she could give them her letter to request resignation. To her nervous concern though, no ship had appeared. She knew that it would take a while for one to arrive but, frankly, she would prefer to leave here as soon as possible. The dull and clammy weather of her workplace had gotten on her nerves more now that she expected to leave this place soon. If she didn’t leave this instant, she just might lose her mind. 

Right now, she was in the lighthouse’s fifth floor, where the library was. The tower had a total of five floors, the last one above her the light room, where the lamp was. Yang did not come to the library often; this was the third time she’d even stayed there for more than even a minute. It was the only way she hadn’t typically spent her time until now. 

Yang didn’t even enjoy the selection this “library” offered her from its lone shelf, most of them were books on Scotland’s natural environment, the history of lighthouses, and other informative works that would make her fall asleep. The only book she could tolerate, the one she read now as she sat in an old sofa chair, was one that detailed the entirety of seals. Admittedly it interested her to read how grey seals and harbor seals inhabited these very coasts she was on, though she was more intrigued by the fearsome leopard seals of Antarctica. 

Nevertheless, it did little to satisfy her boredom nor calm her nerves. She felt drained the past four days the moment after she _wrote_ her letter. She still did the required work here, she didn’t want to appear idle or absentminded in her potentially final report, but her tasks have felt subsequently tedious. The constantly grey sky was an eyesore, the call of seagulls extremely agitated her, and the waves that crashed on the cliffs annoyed her more than ever.

Despite all of those irritancies on her psyche, it was not the oddest thing she felt as she waited. While she was patient for another boat to come, she was whelmed by an odd sensation. A mix of dread, desire, fear, anticipation, and anything else that felt like she had a pit in her stomach. It was a strange and random sense she hadn’t felt before, and the coincidence of it and her planned resignation made her quite suspicious of this place.

It was like she didn’t want to go. She wanted to leave the lighthouse, on the contrary, but everything in her body said the opposite. Some peculiar force made her think that she needed to stay at this forsaken tower, such as some unfinished business that needed to be fulfilled here. Though she never experienced any supernatural force to have haunted her while she served here, this was at least the closest thing to it. In fact, it was almost the same feeling she had when she guided the one ship that passed here, the one with the strange shape that hung from its bow. This impression was familiar to her, but that single fact made her all the more puzzled and startled by it.

However, Yang didn’t care what her consciousness tried to tell her. She planned to leave and that was the end of it. What she would do next, though, was still in the air. With that in mind, she had enough of the seal book, placed it back into its spot on the shelf, and got up from the chair to stretch. She checked the time to find it was already afternoon. She decided not to do any work for the rest of the day – diligence be damned, she could give herself an extra-long break whenever she wanted, since she would hopefully leave this place soon.

As she stood, a little absentminded but in a wistful mood, she walked over to the window of her room. Each floor had two windows parallel to each other, but the windows on the building’s right side could give one a view of the cliff and the sea, each floor offered a different angle. She stepped towards it and looked through the glass, she saw the sea waves constantly roll. Though she did not find any pleasure from the dark ocean, she didn’t think it would hurt to view it one final time.

However, when she looked down to the cliffs she saw something. Typically, the grass and moss that grew over the rocky cliff wouldn’t give her much excitement either. Yet she did not gaze at the cliff itself – it was something on the cliff that caught her eye, something that managed to make her gawk in surprise at the spectacle.

There was a person there, who stood close but not quite over the edge of the land. From the distance between the lighthouse and cliff, Yang could not make out any details on who they were. She looked around through the glass as much as she could, in an attempt to get any clues from the area. There was no vessel by the dock from what she can tell, nor any that departed from it. With those observations, she concluded they weren’t sent by any of her employers. She couldn’t tell if they were one of the locals, who had walked all the way here to view the sights (if there were any) while she hadn’t looked. 

She took a closer look though, to define this mystery person more clearly, and saw something she really should have noticed at first. They were stark naked – not a single article of clothing on their person. She thought of them as a pale spot that contrasted with all the green, which led her to presume they were white. She felt sick to her stomach as she thought that some bewildered, unclothed stranger was on the lighthouse’s property and she had to deal with it.

Yang peered a little closer and could see the person had black hair, long enough to reach the small of their back. A sudden gust of wind came in and blew their hair to the side. She could see their back for a moment, which made her raise a brow in curiosity. Although she still couldn’t make out any details from here, she saw something dark on the visitor’s bare back. Some dark spot that almost encompassed their entire backside, like a void in their body.

Yang couldn’t make any sense from that discoloration, and she didn’t have much time to do so – the person suddenly fell to the ground hard. Stunned, Yang stared at the limp form of the stranger, who stood there just a moment ago and now they’re lying on their side. Whoever they were, they were not well. The most likely explanation was that this person experienced something traumatic, wandered here in a daze, and finally fainted from loss of energy. Though the risks of this situation made her uneasy, the guilt of not helping them somehow would leave a bad taste in her mouth.

Yang moved as fast as she could, sped down the staircase of the tower, burst through the doors and galloped toward the unconscious figure. She didn’t waste any time at all, if she had to help this person she’d have to do it fast. She reached their position almost immediately and knelt down to pick them up in her arms. Their back was turned to her, their dark hair covering their face like a veil. She gently rolled the person toward herself to see her better, and Yang stared at them with shocked, widened eyes.

They were an adult woman, she presumed. Now that she was up close to the visitor, she could see their features very clearly and from what she could tell, she’s a woman like Yang was. Besides the obvious parts of their nude body that she could see as clear as day, she could tell who they were from the face. They had a pointed appearance with thin lips, sharp eyes that were closed, and a cute small nose. Their hair was pitch black that felt almost like silk in her hand as she held up the back of their head, despite the wavy and frantic shape of it. Frankly, she found this person extremely attractive despite the severity of the situation. 

Regardless of her beauty, she certainly needed medical attention right now. Yang worked fast to take off her outer plaid shirt and used it to cover the unconscious woman; it was the only thing she could provide the stranger to cover herself. She quickly carried her bridal style, which she decided was the most efficient way for her to take the woman to shelter quickly. The guest house wasn’t far, but Yang sped as fast as she could toward the small household.

She opened the front door and directly entered into the living room. She moved toward the sofa to gently lay her “guest” down onto it and checked their temperature with her hand – she was cold. The blonde charged into the kitchen and searched for the first aid kit and a towel. She found the latter under the cupboards beneath the kitchen sink and a dishtowel on the counter adjacent to it. It was already damp as she turned on the sink to run hot water, then took the cloth under the stream and soaked it.

Yang returned to the unconscious visitor on her couch and draped the hot towel over her face. She worked fast before the towel could turn cold; she gently raised them up to remove the shirt to check her back, as she remembered the “void” she saw on them from earlier. She got a clear and up close look, but she was stupefied to find only a single scar. Not a big one either, a small but jagged mark just underneath the stranger’s right shoulder blade.

She’s befuddled at the sight as she swore she saw something ghastly. Granted she saw it from a considerable distance and at a different height, due to her position in the lighthouse. But she didn’t see something as small as this from there; she assumed she would have found a gruesome injury. Apparently that wasn’t so, maybe she had just imagined it. Thankfully, it wasn’t something to worry over now. She checked the rest of them and found no other injury. With the towel still hot, she ran upstairs toward the bedroom and took the cover sheet from her bed, ran back down, then placed it over the guest and tucked them in to ensure they’re snug and warm. 

Having done what she could, relieved to have not used the first aid, Yang let loose a heavy exhale and sat down onto the floor. A small house with suffocating rooms, she had no other place to sit but the hard flooring, a lone rug to provide comfort. The living room had only two pieces of furniture – the medium sized couch the stranger occupied and a small coffee table. The only other item was the small and old television set, the only entertainment the blonde had in this house and didn’t provide much.

Yang looked over to the woman on her couch – no sign of recovery or improvement, but she appeared alive. She hoped this person would live throughout night, whatever had caused her condition to not be fatal. The lighthouse keeper wondered what happened to them, where they came from and what led them to be here, but she didn’t have any inkling of an answer to those thoughts. If the visitor woke up, perhaps they could answer any questions they would be comfortable with.

She had to admit, to save a person was not one of her expectations for this job. It was the second time something strange happened here. Whether or not there was a connection between semi-supernatural sensations, creepy fishing boats, and this peculiar guest, she could only get answers if they awake. In the regard of that, the blonde realized that her plans to leave may be put on hold. No matter who this person was, she had to make sure that they were okay – both physically and mentally – before she could focus on her own position. She was certain it won’t take long, but there was still a risk of withholding the letter from the next ship to arrive.

“… Well… I hope you’re worth it,” Yang said pensively, as any outlook of resignation soon seemed to dwindle.

[—————]

Yang continued the rest of her day doing whatever work she could. The most she completed were some papers for reporting on the direction of the wind and the condition of the ocean today. Similar to previous days, nothing about the environment had changed here. Other tasks included a little cleaning in the lighthouse. There were no ships that passed by or docked, her hope of one coming soon declining further. Eventually nighttime engulfed the coast before she knew it. She turned off all the lights in the tower, locked up the entrance, and headed back to the guest house.

Opening the door, she found herself in almost complete darkness as she stepped into the living room. She looked towards the couch and saw her “guest” still unconscious, tucked under the bed cover and had not moved an inch. The blonde did not mind if she had to let the stranger sleep with it all night; she exhumed her own atmosphere of heat from her very being, akin to a space heater, thus didn’t need sheets to sleep with in the first place.

She walked over quietly to the kitchen, turned on the light and hoped it didn’t disturb the visitor. She opened the medium fridge and looked for something to have for dinner. She wondered what she could eat that would cause the least noise as to not disturb the stranger and cause altercation over any fear or confusion they could have. Thankfully, she had some leftovers stored inside and chose to eat them cold, so that the microwave wouldn’t become a bother. Frankly, she would rather eat them hot, but she can make that sacrifice.

The blonde took her food with her, headed toward the kitchen table to sit down, and again pondered on where the stranger came from. Could she have been a survivor from a shipwreck? Yang hoped not, she’d never forgive herself if she let such a thing happen while slacking on her job. Could the stranger be a Scot? She wouldn’t know until she’d hear the person’s voice. What even happened to her? Still, no answers until the visitor would wake.

She had no clues as to who this person was, where they came from, or what happened to them. She tried to rack her brain to find answers, try to make connections she did not see at first, but she could not figure out anything. It was all blank to her – everything about this was too strange for an explainable cause. Despite her want to know, she figured all she was doing was hurt her head from overthinking. For now, she would eat her food and wait for answers when the guest could wake up, whether it be tomorrow or even days from now–

“Where am I?”

“JESUS.” She jumped in her chair at the sudden voice. Yang turned and found her guest stand right on the border between the kitchen and living room. She still wore Yang’s plaid shirt, carried the cover sheet over her bare legs to hide them. So, she woke up after all, though Yang did not know if she disturbed her or not. She looked at them and saw fear and confusion in the dark brunette’s face. The girl clearly did not know where she was, and she appeared exceedingly cautious and guarded toward the surroundings and present company.

Yang figured this would be how the stranger would feel once she would wake, in an environment she did not recognize, though she expected a more terrified reaction. As she gazed at the woman, she finally noticed her last facial feature – her eyes. They’re a golden amber color, almost like the very sun was her eyes. Despite the situation, she could not help herself but to stare into the other woman’s eyes. It was strange, but she concluded that their eyes are the most perfect shade of yellow she’s ever seen.

“… Excuse me?” the stranger spoke again.

“Oh–uh–I–I’m sorry… what did you say?” Yang fumbled, apparently she stared too long into those eyes.

“Where am I?” she repeated.

“Oh, well… you’re in my house!” Yang proclaimed and spread her arms out to emphasize her domain. “… I guess.”

The stranger scrunched her face in response to that, further confused and more afraid now. Yang mentally kicked herself for not being calmer toward the visitor.

“I–I’m sorry… I found you unconscious on the cliffs,” the keeper explained. “I took you inside to make sure you were alright.”

“The cliffs?” the stranger questioned.

“Yeah,” Yang confirmed. “The Scottish kind, to be exact.” Despite the joke, which she let slip out on instinct, the guest’s eyes widened in response. 

“This… this is Scotland?” she inquired.

“Um… yeah,” Yang affirmed.

The stranger brought her free hand to her mouth, she attempted to stifle a sob. Yang did not expect that reaction, but it was enough to tell her that this person went through a difficult ordeal. An ordeal that she seemed to have remembered as well. It made her genuinely concerned, but for now she would not bring up the subject of what happened to her, whatever that may be.

“I’m still home…” she muttered, her yellow eyes, though turned away from Yang, were glossy and almost on the verge of tears.

“… Do you live anywhere near here?” Yang asked. 

“… In a sense,” she answered, vaguely.

That made Yang subtly raise a brow in reaction to that. The stranger did have a slight hint of the famous accent known from here, so she must have been Scottish. Although she did sound more reserved and smoother than a Scot, which even allured her in some way. She had a voice Yang wouldn’t mind listening to for a while. On that note, she made a mental memo to hold back her attraction, for the sake of professionalism in this particular dilemma.

“I’m Yang, by the way,” she introduced herself, as she hoped it was okay to be friendly now. “Yang Xiao Long.”

“… Blake,” the stranger replied. Blake’s a pretty name that fitted her, Yang thought.

“I wasn’t gonna call the authorities until you’d wake up,” she stated, slowly stood up from the table. “Since you are, we can contact them now if you want–!”

“NO!!”

Yang’s taken aback by the shout, brows raised and stared wide eyed at the startled woman. The way her expression appeared like a snarl made Yang afraid, like a fierce animal on the defensive. She’s amazed how Blake expressed such a thing, which made her feel sorry for anyone who’d get on the stranger’s bad side.

As quickly as she roared though, her expression softened to a more worried one. “I mean… I don’t want anyone else know where I am.”

“… Why?” Yang asked in puzzlement. “Wouldn’t your friends or family want to know you’re safe?”

“I… I can’t let anyone else know,” Blake claimed. “Please, I’m begging you, don’t let anyone know about me. I’m begging you.”

This had just become stranger and stranger by the minute. Whatever Blake went through was still unknown to Yang, even if she could infer clues from what she had said. And the hint she just got from Blake now made her all the more concerned. If she did not want her presence here to be known, then that meant that it was an attempt to hide. What’s her reason to hide, though? Did she want to hide something? Or rather, to escape from something? That much, Yang could not infer from Blake’s words.

But what was she supposed to do? She had a stranger in her house, an attractive one at that, but a stranger, nonetheless. She did not know Blake at all, and for all she knew she could have an alternative plan. However, it would not be like her to rat someone out, to refuse someone the kindness to fulfill their request. Yang hated to admit it, but she would take a risk with this person. Though, from the looks of things, she had yet to know if she would regret it. 

“… Okay,” said Yang, a surprised expression from Blake formed in response. “I won’t tell anyone you’re here, and I’ll let you stay for as long as you need.”

“Thank you…! Thank you,” Blake exclaimed; her voice emphasized by relief.

Yang didn’t know if she had done the right thing, but she knew she did a kindness. That was the only important thing. In all honesty she wouldn’t have accepted her wish if she thought she hid something. She was not though – she could see and hear a sincerity in her eyes and voice, respectively. She may not know who Blake truly was, but she at least assumed she held no hostile intent. Although, admittedly, she hoped her apparent fascination with her did not influence her choices.

“… Do you need anything right now?” Yang queried, she hoped to be a more hospitable host at this moment. “Like any food or clothes?” 

“Do you have a water box?”

What.

“What?”

“A water box? Or… whatever people use to bathe in?” Blake probed peculiarly; her tone sounded a little eager. “Anything like that?”

“… Do you mean bathtub?” Yang asked.

“Uh… yes,” Blake affirmed, sheepishly.

“Uh… yeah I have one upstairs, but the bathroom’s kind of small–!”

Before Yang could finish, Blake spun around and headed for the stairs, her visage had disappeared into the dark. Eventually she heard the water turn on and run for a while until it stopped. She took a guess from what she heard and presumed Blake took a bath and soaked in the water. That was… unexpected, to say the least, but it was not contested.

With the ordeal done for now, Yang realized that she had yet to eat her dinner. Since it became no longer necessary to keep quiet, she took her plate and placed it into the microwave. Relieved to have warm food after all, she happily dug in.

Her meal was done and the hour now even later, she went upstairs to get ready for bed, left the cover sheet downstairs for Blake to sleep on the couch. On the second floor, she saw the light in the bathroom still on and her guest nowhere to be seen, which meant Blake’s still in there. In an attempt to not bother her, she went to her bedroom to change into her sleepwear first. When she was finished with that, though, she did not see that Blake had exited the bathroom.

Curious, she stepped over to the room and stopped at the open entrance. She saw her visitor sit tranquil in the bathtub, still full of water that likely got lukewarm, the plaid shirt dropped on the floor. Blake’s just there, to exist in a small space surrounded by water. Yang found herself lost while she gazed at the other woman, mystified at how she could be there and not make a single move. She’s almost akin to a painting, the most beautiful painting Yang’s ever seen, and she couldn’t take her eyes away.

However, when the dark-haired woman suddenly looked in her direction, Yang quickly stepped away from the doorway out of sight. She did not want to be caught in a compromising position, so she moved into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. It seemed she would not use the bathroom for tonight, which she reluctantly accepted. Hopefully, Blake could find her way back to the couch, once she’s done with her bath.

She hopped onto her bed, turned the lights out, and began to relax and unwind on the mattress. With her strangest day on the job done, Yang fully welcomed sleep to engulf her. Although, in the last few minutes of consciousness, she thought of nothing else but the woman she saw in the bathroom and how mesmerized she was by the sight.

She felt happy when she saw Blake, and she did not know why.


	2. Chapter 2

“You can’t leave?”

It was the next day, and Yang made a difficult decision. Between the four days since her sister’s last call, she informed Ruby that she would resign from her job as lighthouse keeper. However, with not enough money for a plane ticket to the US, she asked her flesh-and-blood, a wealthy inventor, to buy one for her. Ruby, who presumed much about what this meant, happily obliged, but would only buy one once Yang called to inform she was officially ready to leave, as per her request.

The older sibling realized she wasn’t being honest since she hadn’t revealed her intent to not visit their father. While she did not blame her father for what happened or how he felt, she would not confront what he did himself. She wasn’t ready to do that yet, she told herself. More importantly, though, there was still the matter of how her life felt so purposeless. There’s still a need within her for a goal, a desire to feel she hadn’t wasted her life after all. She’d return to the country she was born, but she’d continue her journey.

However, two major problems occurred. The first issue was that her employers had not contacted her yet. No boats from the lighthouse management came to check in on her, which meant she hadn’t been able to request her resignation. This also meant that she wouldn’t get any more food; her fridge had enough stored for a few days more, but it was only a matter of time. She didn’t know what to do if this situation turned into a desperate one.

The second dilemma was Blake, her current guest. Only yesterday she found her on the cliffs and took her inside. She didn’t get to ask Blake what happened to her, whether she could remember or not. So, with the relative recentness of this issue, she needed time to make sure Blake would be safe and healthy once she’d be back on her own feet. Unfortunately, that would take much of her time, so it may be a while before she’d leave this place.

Now, she had to tell Ruby to postpone her return to the States. The most her younger sibling would feel was melancholy at the circumstances, but she’d get over once Yang did return. However, cautious of Blake’s wish for secrecy, she determined it best not to mention her, even though that made it difficult to explain her situation.

“Yeah~, sorry Rubes,” said Yang, as she scratched the back of her head. “My bosses said that there’s a huge migration of birds coming this way and they want me to document it.”

“You said that you were going to quit!” Ruby exclaimed over the phone.

“I know, but they really wanted it documented!” Yang countered. “They said it will be one of my last gigs here.”

“Yang, I swear,” claimed Ruby exasperatedly. “If you’re trying to get out of visiting Dad–!”

“No!” Yang quickly interrupted her. “… It’s not like that, I swear. They just want me to do some things before I go, that’s it.”

“… You mean it?”

“Yeah. When I’m done, I’ll be ready to leave.”

Yang heard a sigh from her sister before she replied, “How long will this be?”

“… Uh, I don’t know,” Yang replied, she tried to think up a good fib. “They told me the birds could be flying for… weeks.”

“……… Weeks,” Ruby repeated in a deadpan tone.

“……… Yeah,” Yang confirmed in an attempt to hide any uncertainty in her voice.

“… Ugh, fine.” Ruby relented. “Stay for as long as you need. But call me when you’re ready to leave!”

Yang’s utterly relieved, thankful for her sister’s kindness and mercy. “Thanks, Ruby! I call you again when I’m ready!”

“Okay, good,” she replied. “I’ll keep missing you till then. Later Yang.”

“Bye sis,” she answered, and hung up her phone. 

As she stood in the guest house’s bedroom, Yang flung herself onto the bed and landed on her back. Freed from conflicts with her family for now, she could better handle the previous issues with her stay here – a lack of contact with employers and a guest in her house. Though both problems were a certain challenge, she’d rather take these head on a hundred times over than reunite with her family even once. In fact, she wouldn’t mind if she’d miss a potential flight out of Scotland, if it was available this instant, for her guest’s sake.

“Heh… sorry I couldn’t say I’m staying to help a pretty girl,” Yang wistfully mumbled, her attraction bubbled up once more.

“You think I’m pretty?”

Once again she was startled by an unexpected voice from out of nowhere and jumped in reaction. She turned hastily to the source and saw it was her guest. Blake stood by the entrance of the bedroom, a clearly surprised expression plastered over her face, and wore a dark grey sweater and a pair of jeans, some of Yang’s spare clothing that she provided her for her stay. Though Yang took note of her guest’s apparent ability to appear anywhere at a whim, she was more focused on the look she currently gave. 

“I, uh… well…” Yang needed to think what she’d say exactly, cautious to not elicit potential overreaction. “… From like, an outside view, you know?”

Blake only raised a brow at that answer.

“I–I mean… like you’re pretty in an ‘obvious’ sense,” Yang explained.

“… Oh,” Blake acknowledged.

“Like… it’s like anyone who’d see you would think you’re pretty, yeah?” Yang continued. “Granted, I did kind of see you naked so I might have a bias because of that… plus I’m gay, there’s that too and – and I should probably shut up now.”

The stranger didn’t respond to the loose-lipped tirade, which made Yang think she crossed some boundary. She hoped that Blake wasn’t particularly bothered by the fact that she saw her that way. Although she explained that the circumstances had incidentally led to see her in the nude, the facts are that she saw her bare twice. The entire situation made the blonde woman feel rather awkward toward her guest.

However, a small chuckle slipped out of the dark-haired girl’s mouth, to which Yang gawked at in surprise.

“Well, thank you for your compliment, at the very least,” she spoke with an amused snort. Yang blushed out of embarrassment but managed to raise up her thumb and give a sheepish smile to gesture to Blake that she’s welcome.

“… But I’m not really pretty.” And just like that, the blonde’s expression fell into confusion.

“What?” Yang uttered unbelievingly.

“I’m not pretty. Or beautiful, or stunning, or any of those things,” Blake explained, her tone disturbingly monotone, her mouth a mirthless smirk. “I don’t deserve to be such.”

“Woah, hold up,” Yang interjected, she immediately stood up from the bed. “Who says you’re not any of those things?”

“… One person did,” Blake claimed, which earned a shocked expression from the blonde. “He didn’t say it outright, but he would show me. And it would hurt.”

Yang’s stunned, speechless at what she heard. The blunt revelation that someone hurt Blake in such a way scared her, because it could be a potential part of the mystery that surrounded her guest. Could “he” be the reason Blake wanted to hide? Why did she run or thought she was not close to her home anymore? Did that person kidnap her? Multitudes of questions ran through Yang’s head, many of them seemingly irreverent, but she thought them, nonetheless.

Yet what really overcame her mind was the pure, utter rage she felt that someone would harm Blake like that. Yang wanted to tell her that she would decimate the person who insulted or injured her. She wanted to tell her that they were wrong, that she was pretty, beautiful, stunning, and any and all of those things. She thought of nothing less than to hold Blake in her arms just to tell her she was the most beautiful person in this world.

But she couldn’t. She was still a stranger to her; she had no right to be so intimate with her like that. At best she may not want to be touched that way, at worst she could be utterly repulsed by her actions. Yang could only stand there, stare at Blake and not utter a word. They were only a few feet apart and they didn’t know each other, but she felt like she was miles away from the other woman and unable to comfort her.

“Maybe he was right,” Blake lamented. “After everything… how could I be any of those things?”

The way she said that so casually, as if it was supposed to be that way, like it was a fact of life she’d been already desensitized to, left Yang to feel helpless. Blake was made to believe something untrue, and she couldn’t do anything to convince her otherwise.

With nothing more that could be said between them, Blake turned away from the bedroom and headed towards the stairs. Yang heard her stroll down the stairs, nothing else after that. Left to herself, she sat back down on the bed and covered her face with her hands, the conversation made her distressed and the raw emotions she felt left her exhausted. Her attraction to Blake had apparently become stronger, she deduced, because the mere sight of Blake when she depreciated herself made her want to use everything in her power to make her feel loved.

The longer Blake stayed here would be the death of her. Although, she had to admit, to die over a pretty woman wasn’t the worst death she could think of.

She rested on the mattress for a while, let all of her anguish flow out of her the more she relaxed. After a moment of silence for her to clear her mind, she suddenly heard the television turn on and a Scottish person speak in the background. She lifted her head up to focus on the noise, she figured Blake turned on the TV and happened upon a local news channel.

The blond got off her bed, left the room then shuffled down the house’s only staircase. She entered the living room, looked over to the couch and saw Blake just sit there and gaze at the TV. The lighthouse keeper stood there for a minute, she observed Blake who gaped so intently at the screen. It made her curious why her guest was so captivated by a typical, unordinary news program.

It wasn’t long before Blake noticed she was there and turned her attention to her now. “What is this thing?” she asked.

Yang raised a brow, “The show? Uh, I guess just local news–!”

“No, this box!” Blake exclaimed. “With the screen of moving images,”

“… You mean the TV?” Yang answered in complete puzzlement.

“’TV’…” Blake repeated the word, then gasped as she excitedly turned back to it. “This is a television?!”

Yang’s shaken by the surprise and thrill in Blake’s voice over her apparent discovery. She realized not everyone’s seen a television but didn’t expect to find out Blake was one of those individuals. “You… haven’t seen one before?”

“I’ve only heard of them from stories and accounts about the surface–!” Blake turned to her again as she explained but suddenly stopped herself. She had seen the shock and confusion on Yang’s face in reaction to this. Her expression shifted from that of childlike fascination to a more modest and quieter one. “I… no, I haven’t seen one before.”

Blake turned her head back to the television and left Yang in a dazed stupor. It’s the second revelation about Blake in one day, and it was an extremely strange one. It was only a moment ago that she expressed a severely depressed mood, now she was entranced by something she apparently never seen before. It was so far the most bizarre experience Yang had in this place, let alone in this country. Although Blake was rather cute when she acted like that, she thought to herself.

Despite her questions, Yang didn’t think it appropriate to investigate her guest yet. As she felt time to sit, she walked over and sat on the other side of the couch, in the hope that it wasn’t a problem to be next to the other woman right now. She received no complaint though, as Blake was still transfixed to the screen. However, the blonde didn’t find the news program of any particular interest to her.

“Do you want to watch another show, maybe?” Yang asked the dark-haired stranger. 

Blake looked at her with a puzzled expression. “You can change it to different programs, I mean,” Yang explained.

“There are… other moving images?” Blake enquired, her interest had grown after Yang’s clarification.

Yang nodded, “Yeah… do you want to see?” 

Blake smiled, “Yes! Please, show me.”

At her guest’s behest, Yang grabbed the remote and surfed through all available channels. And it soon became unproductive. The lighthouse keeper grew irritated over the lack of variety or excitement she sought through. She saw mostly documentaries, more news channels, a few local soap operas, and one sports channel… dedicated only to men’s football. Obviously, that particular channel was not to her taste.

Granted, she realized that many of these channels were held in high regard by a multitude of the Scottish people, but it simply wasn’t to her taste. Also, she had no cable here… which severely limited the choices anyhow. She looked over to Blake to see if she was or was not bored by the dreary channels. However, she instead found the visitor to be much more fascinated with the TV than before.

“Did you, uh, see anything you like?” she asked, surprised that Blake kept up her engrossment.

Blake shook her head in response, “I liked watching you change the images more,” she confessed.

“O–Oh…” Yang muttered in response. “Well, I was just looking for something good to watch.”

“And did you?” Blake asked in a hopeful tone as she turned to her.

“Uh… no.”

“Oh… I see.”

An awkward pause formed between them before Yang spoke again. “It’s no big deal, really,” she claimed. “I don’t really use this thing anyway; mostly watch Xena on my tablet upstairs.”

Blake at her befuddled, “Zee-Nah?”

“I–It’s a show I like,” Yang explained. “Xena: Warrior Princess, it’s about a warrior who travels through ancient Greece, fights monsters and assholes, and falls in love.”

“Ooohhhh…!” Blake voiced an obvious interest. Yang found it herself amazed at how her guest seemed to be unendingly amazed by normal things like TV.

“… I kind of seen it over and over,” Yang admitted, a little less reserved. “But I like to re-watch episodes every weekend.”

“Can I watch it with you?”

Yang gaped at the unexpected request. “Huh?”

“The Xena show you told me of,” said Blake with an eager grin. “Can I watch it? With you?”

… With her? She wanted to watch a show with her? The blonde lighthouse keeper whom Blake just met and saw her naked?

Yang’s left incredibly speechless at the other woman’s wish, she very much not expected to bond with her over her favorite show. In fact, the only thing she expected from Blake was that she would keep her at arm’s length. Although she didn’t show it, Yang felt a rise of enthusiasm at the prospect to see the person of her affections experience and react toward something she enjoyed. She couldn’t express what she felt, unfortunately, as pure shock over this turn of events completely overwhelmed her instead.

Blake’s excited expression fell when Yang said nothing and backed away, who likely thought she said something wrong, “Would that… be okay with you?”

“Uh…” Yang attempted to formulate a response, but then remembered that she had a job to get to. She checked the time on her wristwatch then stood up from the couch. “I… have to get to the lighthouse, so we can’t right now.”

“Oh… alright,” Blake acknowledged crestfallen. Yang wished that she could have worded this better, so that her visitor wouldn’t feel guilty for her request. At the very least though, she didn’t intend to leave her to feel like that forever.

“… But we can later,” she declared.

Blake looked up to her with slightly renewed vigor, “When?”

“Sometime soon, I promise,” Yang told her.

Blake looked at her with a sense of surprise, but soon smiled in gratitude. Yang responded with a smile as well, one of assurance at that. With a promise made, nothing else was said as Yang prepared to leave. She waltzed into the kitchen, grabbed another apple to eat for her breakfast, then walked back into the living room and up to the front door.

“There’s food in the fridge you can eat right away when you’re hungry,” Yang informed her guest. “And you can come into the lighthouse if you need anything from me, okay?” 

“Alright. Thank you,” Blake responded. Yang nodded as a final acknowledging gesture, then left the house.

[—————]

Yang stayed in the lighthouse for almost the entire day, only to go outside to test the ocean water and observe the seagulls or other wildlife. The weather was the usual cloudiness, nothing out of the ordinary. Her workday wasn’t any different than the others before, but she didn’t feel very bored today. She didn’t mind the grey sky, the active waves, or the cries of gulls; she wasn’t annoyed by any of it, not one bit. Maybe because she was a little happier since she had company, let alone an infatuation, so she appreciated the environment a little more than she did before.

There was one annoyance, though: there were no ships that arrived. It’s been five days, and her employers hadn’t sent a boat to resupply her food stock. The reports she filed since started to stack up on her desk. Not to mention, there was still her letter of resignation. Although it had only been a few days, her fridge still had enough, and her reports could wait. Of course, her letter could be held on to longer until she helped Blake. She could wait but, either way, she hoped she wouldn’t wait long.

The blonde returned to the guest house in the evening, ready to relax for the night. She didn’t see her visitor anywhere at first, she went to look upstairs and saw the bathroom closed with the light on. Satisfied to know where Blake is, she went back down and strolled into the kitchen to prepare a dinner of potatoes for two. There may be enough food still, but she didn’t want to go ahead and eat everything before she could save and ration it.

After she cooked the meal, Yang went up the second floor and toward the bathroom. She rapped on the door, “Blake, you in there?” 

“Hmm?” she heard from inside.

“I made some dinner downstairs,” said Yang. “There’s enough for both of us. Do you want any?”

“… No that’s okay,” her guest proclaimed. “I’ve had my fill today.”

“Oh, uh, alright then,” she replied, a little puzzled by her guest’s words but accepted the answer, nonetheless. “Well, there’ll be leftovers anyway. You can have them any time if you want.”

“Okay, thank you,” she responded in monotony. Yang couldn’t tell if Blake was okay or not, unsure of what her guest did in there. She didn’t want to be rude, but she wanted to know how long Blake would need the bathroom.

“Uh, I don’t mean to pry but, how long will you be in there?” Yang asked with the hope she wasn’t intrusive. “It’s just that I tend to use the bathroom before I get to sleep, is all.”

It wasn’t the most necessary action for her routine, but sometimes it would help to do whatever she needed done in there, such as to brush teeth or use the toilet one last time. Sometimes she didn’t use the restroom and just went to her bed, such as yesterday, after she saw Blake nude a second time and fled out of embarrassment. Regardless, she only wanted to make sure she and Blake would use it equally, but she hoped she hadn’t made her perturbed her with the inquiry.

“Can I sleep in here?”

Can she what.

“Can you what?”

“I… I need to sleep in here,” Blake claimed. “Please.”

This was so far the strangest thing she heard from her guest. Blake wanted to sleep in the bathroom. What for??

“… Can I… ask why?” Yang awkwardly enquired, not completely sure how to respond.

“It’s… I’m more comfortable in here,” the guest replied.

Yang raised a brow at that, “Was the couch not good to sleep on?”

“It’s nothing like that,” Blake asserted.

“You sure? I can give you the bed instead,” Yang offered. “I mean, I can’t really see how you’d sleep okay in here.”

“Yang, please let me sleep in here,” Blake pleaded, which took Yang aback. That may have been the first time she heard Blake say her name.

“I know this sounds very strange,” Blake continued. “But this is the only place I can really sleep in and… it’s not something I can explain easily. I just… need you to trust me, for now… please.”

Yang was at a loss for words right now as she found the request all the stranger. There wasn’t a single reason she could think of why someone needed to sleep in a bathroom when they had other options. It didn’t make a lick of sense to her. 

Despite that, she was more perplexed by how sincere Blake was about her current needs. Something about that told her that it was dire that she slept in this room, even if it was very odd to do so. Maybe she didn’t know all the reasons, but perhaps Blake had important ones. Either way, she found this peculiar, but she hoped, or rather expected, the reasons to be explained to her, eventually.

“… Alright, alright,” Yang relented. “You can sleep in here. And if you need to sleep in here every night… then you can.”

Yang heard two things from inside the bathroom, in response to her answer: a slight splash of water and a short gasp that was muffled. She didn’t know if the first sound came from the sink or the bathtub.

“Thank you…! Thank you, so much!” Blake exclaimed from inside, clearly grateful for her granted wish. “I’ll tell you why when I can, I promise.”

“Heh… alright, I look forward to that,” Yang stated with some amusement. “Good night, Blake.”

“Good night, Yang,” her guest replied.

With that bizarre issue resolved, Yang stepped away from the bathroom door, ready to sleep this odd night away. However, before she could, something on the floor suddenly caught her eye. Curious, she kneeled down to get a closer look. The lack of light of the diminutive hallway made it a little hard to see, but she could define three small items that were white in color. They were close to the bathroom door, which made her wonder if they were something Blake dropped.

She picked them up, stood up from where she was and walked into her bedroom. The lamp was on and gave her much more adequate light to see. Once she got her clearer look, though, she became even more befuddled than before. They were feathers, partially torn up. She didn’t have the slightest idea where these came from, how they got into the house, or why they were even near the bathroom. She hadn’t seen any like these before, not even any from the pillows in the house. If Blake did have some connection with these, she’d need to remember to ask her in the morning.

As if this couldn’t get any eerier, Yang saw something else on these feathers. There was a red color speckled and splotched on them, especially at the quill. It was dry and a little crusty, which meant the feathers have been covered by this color for a while. She didn’t know what material the red color was, but she had an unsavory idea of what it could be. Against better judgement, she brought the feathers up to her nose and took a whiff. She smelled something faintly like iron.

It was blood. Three bloody feathers were in the guest house, right next to the bathroom, where her guest currently resided. Fear and confusion rose up and overcame her, but her rational thoughts didn’t let the fear consume her. These could have gotten into the house through any means, and they could have gotten like this before they got inside. However, she suddenly remembered something before she made dinner: she didn’t see any less food in the fridge than earlier today.

So, Yang fearfully wondered what exactly Blake ate while she worked in the lighthouse.

[—————]

Ten days had passed now – ten since Yang wrote her undelivered letter, while Blake had appeared to her around five days ago. No ship from her employers’ organization had come, which left little time before she had to ration the food. She didn’t give Ruby any update on her situation, as she hoped not to make her distressed over the current dilemma.

However, she found that this was difficult to handle on her own. With contact to the outside world limited, she planned on how to ensure her and Blake’s mutual survival. She figured that she could start to fish at the dock once food started to run out, but she didn’t believe that would work – she hadn’t seen any sign of fish around the coast, let alone other aquatic life. Her guest claimed that there were many fish to eat in the area, but Yang didn’t see any proof of that.

Then there was the issue of outside communication. If the absence of her employers continued, she’d need to go into the country to find help. She had seen the locals walk by here by chance, though no one ever come near the lighthouse. The problem with that was she didn’t know where they came from. She never left the lighthouse, so she had no idea of how the region was mapped out or where any towns or villages are. If worst came to shove, she could always make some smoke signal and hope desperately that someone or something would see such.

Fortunately, her situation is far from desperate yet. There was still food and she didn’t have to make an SOS of some kind. Although the outlook of things wasn’t good, she did have an optimistic outlook for her current conditions. Eventually a ship would come to drop off food, she’d give in her letter, start the process of her resignation, and even before all that she’d be able to get Blake up on her own again. Everything would be fine; she was sure of it.

As for her guest, they needed to discuss some things. For the last three days Blake had basically taken refuge in the bathroom, only to come out when Yang would need it or for eating some food. From what she deduced, her guest took baths and soaked in them for hours, and apparently she even slept in the water-filled tub. As if that wasn’t weird enough, she was unsure if Blake had even changed the water since she first got into it. Obviously, this woman didn’t care about excessive pruning or the water turn increasingly colder over time.

Although she could tolerate the odd behavior, the fact remained that neither of them could stay here forever. She had plans to leave this land, she couldn’t care for Blake forever (even though she partially didn’t mind that, due to her infatuation). Yang needed to know what Blake needed exactly in order to get back to her life safely, what precautions they needed to take so that she would not encounter whatever harmed her before. She wanted to help her, and the only way she could was if she had answers.

It was morning now, and she figured it was the best time to have their talk before work. She got dressed into a plain white shirt, donned a bomber jacket over that, and put on cargo shorts and boots. She stepped out of the bedroom, walked up to the bathroom, and knocked on the door to check if her guest was in there.

“Blake, you in there?” she called. Yang heard a responsive mutter from inside, the stranger apparently just woken. “Blake?”

“Mm… do you need the room?” her guest inquired. “Sorry… I’ll get out in a moment.”

“No, it’s fine,” Yang assured. “It’s just… I think it’s time we need to talk.”

“Talk? About what?”

“Uh, what you’d need for getting out on your own again… I guess,” Yang answered. 

“… Oh,” Blake uttered.

Yang treaded lightly with this subject, as she didn’t want to make her guest uncomfortable. “I just thought now would be a good time, but it’s okay if you’re not ready. We can talk later if you want, but I think it’s important we do.”

“… It is alright with me,” Blake responded. “I’ll come out soon.”

“Oh, okay great,” said Yang. “I’ll leave some clothes in front of the door for you to put on. I’ll be in the kitchen,”

“Thank you,” stated Blake.

Their conversation set, Yang ran into the bedroom and grabbed her yellow hoodie and some shorts for Blake to wear. She placed them at the door, then sped down the stairs and ran right into the kitchen.

Yang opened the fridge straight away, she looked for what they could eat and not deplete what was left in storage. Although she kept her breakfasts small and quick for the past few weeks, she decided it wouldn’t be any trouble to eat more than just one apple for today. She took the milk out, closed the fridge and moved towards the pantry. She reached inside to grab a bowl and a box of cereal. At the table, she poured a medium portion of bran flakes into the bowl, then poured in a small but adequate amount of milk, with enough to drink for later. Finally, she grabbed a spoon and dug in.

She surprised herself a little, as she ate something else than an apple for once. Work here had been exhaustive, which made her neglect her health somewhat, some of her routines, and caused a rise in moodiness. However, her peculiar guest she had these past few days made her feel a little brighter. She wasn’t sure if it was because she had company in general or the fact she was attracted to her guest, but for now she was just content with how she felt better since she arrived here.

She didn’t eat the cereal too fast, but it was soon gone before she knew it. After she gulped down the milk which remained, she took the bowl over to the sink to wash it out.

“Hey.”

She heard her guest’s greeting and turned around to see them once more stand before the kitchen. She wore the clothes Yang gave out for her. She had to admit, Blake looked cute in her slightly larger clothes.

“Hey!” Yang greeted back with a welcoming smile. “Oh, do you want any breakfast? I have some cereal out if you want some.”

“Oh no, I’m fine,” Blake replied. “Thank you though.”

“My pleasure,” Yang assured and sat back down at the kitchen table. Blake soon joined her and positioned herself parallel to her host.

“So… how should we start?” Blake asked

“Uh, well…” Yang considered for a second or two on what to say. She needed to know if Blake had any place of her own to come back to, so she hoped that would be okay to ask. “I guess we should start with where you can go?”

Blake raised her brows in a surprised response, “Oh… why that?”

“Well, it’s because we can’t stay here,” Yang explained. “I’m planning to leave as soon as you can be independent again.”

“You… don’t live here?” asked a confused Blake.

“No, this is all private property owned by people I’m working for,” said Yang. “They let me live here in order to do lighthouse stuff.”

“Then, where do you live?” Blake inquired.

Yang chuckled at the question, “Nowhere in this country, that’s for sure.” 

Her response garnered wide eyes from the guest, “You’re not even Scottish?”

“No? Did you think I was?” Yang replied with a laugh.

“I… you’re living on these coasts, so I thought…” Blake didn’t finish her thought, seemingly guilty about her presumptions. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Yang assured, a little amused by the mistake. “I mean, I thought it’d be a giveaway that I didn’t have the accent.”

Blake raised a brow at that, “What is an accent?” 

Yang slightly gaped at her innocent confusion, she hadn’t thought that other Scots didn’t consider themselves to have an accent. A distinct voice, yes, but not an accent. She took a mental step back, she figured it best to return to the subject. She cleared her throat, “So, uh… do you have anywhere you live?”

Blake looked away from her, “Uh… not exactly.”

That didn’t sound very good, Yang thought. She pried a little more, “Oh, well, what about contacts? Anyone you know who we can call?” 

The deeper her frown became was her only response, which made Yang worried.

“Alright, umm… is there anything you know that could help?” she asked hopefully. 

No answer. 

The conversation now appeared to go into a bad direction. What was worse was that Yang couldn’t tell if Blake withheld anything or not. She was certain she did not, but the strangeness of this situation made her think that not every piece of information was given out right now. She wanted to help but found it difficult to do so as she was kept in the dark.

Yang sighed. “I know it’s probably difficult to talk about these things, but I need to make sure you’ll be okay if you’re out on your own.” Her reasoning seemed to get to Blake, as she looked up at her again.

“I only want to help you,” Yang continued. “If there’s anything I can do or anything you need then, please, tell me.”

“… Why do you want to help me?” her guest questioned.

“Because… it’s the right thing to do,” Yang answered, her words truthful to an extent. It wouldn’t have been appropriate to say an infatuation was also a motivator. Blake’s only reaction to that was a single blink, caution the only emotion she expressed.

Yang sighed again, “We can stop, if now isn’t the right time. But if there’s anything you can tell me–!”

“Yang, wait,” Blake interrupted, which caught Yang’s attention. “Could you… tell me about yourself?”

She was taken aback by the request. “Huh?”

“It’s just… I hardly know who you are,” her guest admitted. “I know I’ve been strange since you’ve found me. But if you want to help me, I need to trust you and know you.”

Surprised, Yang stared at her guest for a moment before she responded, “Uh… sure, I guess, but… how’s my backstory gonna help your problem?”

“It… it might encourage me to share my own personal life,” Blake answered. “At least, I hope it will.

Yang was stunned by the honesty but found it hard to argue against. Trust was a two way street, as many would say. However, the parts of her personal life she didn’t like would have to be kept out, for now. Thankfully, Blake wouldn’t have to know about such, and she was certain it wouldn’t hurt any trust between them now and moving forward.

“Alright, that makes sense,” Yang proclaimed. “So… what do you want to know about me?”

“Well, for a start, where do you actually live?” Blake asked curiously.

“Oh, easy – I live in the States,” Yang answered. “I was born in the Midwest, specifically.”

Blake gazed at her with astonishment, “You’re… from America?!”

“Yeah,” Yang affirmed.

“That’s… amazing!”

“Eh, it’s okay,” said Yang, very less enthusiastic than her guest. “Kind of a hell hole to live in, being ‘white people central’ and all.”

“Oh no, I know it’s full of colonizers,” Blake stated. “I just find it amazing you’ve come from so far.”

“Oh! Well, it’s nothing,” said Yang modestly.

“Why did you come all the way here?”

“I needed a job,” Yang answered. “I was in the east coast by the time I got word of people needing a lighthouse keeper. Basically, it was a good opportunity and I was ready to go there. I was the only one who took it too.”

Blake quirked her brow again, “Wait, what were you doing in the East? You said you lived in America’s Midwest.”

“I moved out when I turned eighteen,” Yang declared, surprising Blake. “I was traveling the country for seven years, and I ended up there before coming here.”

“Eighteen…” Blake repeated, apparently amazed.

“Yeah, I just figured it was time to be on my own, you know?” Yang told her, her guest still gazing at her in shock. 

“How old are you now?” Blake asked.

“Twenty five,” Yang answered. “You?”

“… I’m the same,” Blake claimed.

Despite the surprise that they were the same age, Yang felt a little relief to know Blake’s age now. She figured she was an adult in the end, but she didn’t want to make any assumptions, due to the fact they don’t know much about each other, even now. 

“So… what was your family like?” Blake inquired.

Yang stared at her visitor for a moment, analyzing her and wondering what presumptions she had exactly. Getting no clue in regard to that, she answered, “… They’re great, to be honest. 

Even though we’re complicated.”

“How so?” Blake asked.

“Well first off, it started as Dad, Mom, then me, and later it’s Dad, Stepmom, me, and my sis’ Ruby,” Yang explained.

“… ‘Stepmom?’” Blake repeated in a confused tone.

“Oh, uh, a Stepmother,” Yang clarified. “It’s a woman who marries someone who’s a parent, and they legally become a parent.”

Instead of understanding, Blake looked further confused, to Yang’s internal exasperation.

“I’ll… get back to that later,” Yang decreed. “Point is, I had two mothers at different times.”

“Oh, I see,” Blake acknowledged. “Is it… nice?”

“What is?”

“Having two mothers? Was it nice?” Blake asked, inquisitiveness written all over her face. Frankly, Yang didn’t know why any of this was interesting to her guest, but it apparently is.

“… The second time was better,” Yang professed. “I knew her better than my actual mother.”

“Oh…” voiced Blake.

“My stepmom – actually, let’s call her just Mom, cus that’s what I really called her,” Yang informed. “Her name was Summer and she… well, she was basically a super-mom. She’d teach me and Rubes to bake cookies, read stories every night. She was more of a mother than the person who gave birth to me.

“Mom came when my Dad, Taiyang, really needed it. She was kind, thoughtful, caring. She made Dad so happy. I was young then, like really young, but I remember how she made everything feel brighter again. And then, when Ruby came into the picture, it just got better and better! I felt cared for by more than one person… it was the happiest I ever was.

“I… really try to emulate her since growing up. I’d be a good sister and care for Ruby whenever Mom or Dad were out, even though I think I wasn’t as good as Mom. But hell, she’d always be proud of me for it every time she came home. She was always so damn proud of me…”

Yang cut herself off when she looked at her guest, who apparently had stars in her eyes as she listened. Blake shined with such awe that she was close to tears. Again, Yang was mystified as to why Blake was so intrigued and amazed by her personal life. … Although, that may be an indicator of something in her own life. If she would tell her story anytime soon, it could be an incredibly dramatic one.

“… And, so, uh, yeah, that’s uh… that’s what Mom was like,” Yang finished, fumbling slightly.

“She… really sounds amazing,” Blake responded, still astonished.

“Hah, yeah… she really was,” said Yang.

“… Why do you talk about her like that?”

Yang’s taken off-guard by the question, “What?”

“You keep saying ‘was’… like it isn’t the same anymore,” Blake deduced. “Did… something happen?”

Yang didn’t expect Blake to figure that out so quickly. She mentally kicked herself for not being careful with how she talked. Right now, it was absolutely not when she wanted to talk about this, but now she felt backed into a corner. Her guest knew something was wrong, and she may not let it go until she’d be told. After all, she suggested that they try to tell each other about themselves and their personal lives for the sake of trust. If she didn’t tell her, she’d risk the destruction of the trust that was built.

But she wasn’t in the right mind to talk about this. At least, she didn’t believe she was. Several years passed since what occurred, and since then Yang avoided the topic all together. Yet here she was, as she mentally weighted out the consequences of whether she should tell Blake what happened or not. Frankly, she wanted to opt for the latter.

Then another thought came to her, though – what was the worst that could happen? What would Blake think if she told her? Would she judge her for it? She didn’t really think so, but there were still the memories of the overall trauma and the events that resulted from it. She had a strong distaste for these memories, but she considered that to talk about it with an outsider wouldn’t hurt all that much. However, she needed a little assurance for this.

Yang gulped before asking, “If I tell you… can you tell me something about yourself next?”

“… I can do my best,” Blake answered.

It was the best answer she could get, Yang figured. She took a deep breath in and let everything out.

“My Mom died, when I was around six,” Yang revealed. “Dad told me she was in a bad car accident.”

Blake stared in shock and melancholy at the news, “Oh… oh Yang, I’m so sorry…!”

“It… it had a really bad effect on us,” Yang soberly continued. “Dad went into depression; he couldn’t even care for me or Ruby. I had to pick things up, to care for Ruby and myself when no one else would. Alone.”

Blake still watched with sheer sympathy, seemingly saddened to hear what happened. Yang wondered for a moment if Blake’s own story would have its traumas but pushed that thought aside for now to continue.

“… But when he got out of that, he went back to be a parent for us again,” Yang recounted. “It worked out for us, he was doing his part again, but… I didn’t stay long after. I went out on my own, traveled across the States for seven years, then I came here. Been working here for almost four months now. That’s my story.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you, Yang,” Blake sympathized. 

Yang shrugged, “It’s fine, it’s been years since it happened. Heck, I think it helped to talk about it.”

Yang lied about that part; she didn’t feel all that relieved. She mostly said that to put Blake at ease and she didn’t feel in the mood to be pitied, if she ever wanted such. For now, she hoped that satisfied her guest’s curiosity.

“May I… ask what happened to your first mother?” Blake inquired.

“No,” Yang spoke bluntly. “I don’t talk about Raven. Ever.” Blake quietly mouthed the name, ‘Raven,’ to herself, seemingly to remember the names of both mothers. However, she didn’t press the topic after Yang’s declaration. 

“But, enough about me,” said Yang. “Do you have any family stories to spill?”

Blake blinked, but soon looked away, “I… don’t really have much to say.” There was noticeable hesitation in her voice.

“Why?” Yang questioned. “Just had a pretty boring childhood?”

“I was alone as a child.”

Yang’s staggered by the sudden reveal, “What?”

Her guest let out a long sigh, “Where I am from, parents will either not stay long or just leave their children completely. I never knew my father, and my mother stayed only to feed me. She left when I was a… old enough, I suppose. That’s all I can really say about my family.”

“I…” Yang’s at a loss for words, she hardly expected any of that to be her guest’s backstory. They both knew loneliness she realized, but she presumed that she was the only one who experienced that. In that exact moment, she’s never felt guiltier or more ashamed than before, because she didn’t think she’d emphasize with anyone over similar experiences tonight. She hated herself for having such an arrogant thought. “Blake, I’m so sorry,” Yang consoled.

“It’s… alright, I think,” Blake believed. “Maybe it was best I was on my own.” Yang quirked a brow, confused as to why Blake would say that about herself.

“They wouldn’t want me,” Blake sadly claimed. “A weak and hideous thing like me.”

Yang’s heart broke the second she said that. Once again, the symptoms of her guest’s trauma were visible, a sheer self-depreciation that came out of whatever harmed or manipulated her. But Yang didn’t believe that was true for a second. In a moment of clarity, Yang reached out to grab both of Blake’s hands which rested on the kitchen table.

“That isn’t true!” Yang exclaimed, as Blake stared wide eyed at her.

“Blake, no matter what happened to you, you’re not at fault for them,” Yang reasoned. “Your parents leaving you, or whatever happened that led you here, you’re NOT the cause!”

Blake continued to stare, unable to counter the passionate response. Yang kept up the reinforcement, “And whatever you say about yourself, it isn’t true. You are pretty, you are beautiful and, heck, I think you’re brave too!” 

“How… how am I any of those things?” Blake managed to retort.

“How are you not?!”

Blake’s again left astonished, but this time Yang surprised herself too. She was concerned that she crossed a line but didn’t let it stop her now. She wanted Blake to understand that she wasn’t any of the things she believed she was, but she didn’t want to scare her away. The blond took a moment to calm down and think clearly, she loosened her grip on Blake’s hands but still kept them there, in the hope that the contact wasn’t unwelcome for now.

“Blake… you’re the prettiest person I’ve ever seen,” she confessed, she made her tone sound as impartial as she could make it. Her guest’s mouth parted slightly in surprise. “And I know you’re brave, because you’ve lived on your own when you shouldn’t have to, but you’ve kept going. I may not know that for sure, but I’m certain that you have. And whoever or whatever tried to hurt you recently, you managed to get away from it, come all the way here.”

Blake still said nothing, but Yang ended her speech, “You are all the things you think you’re not; I promise you that. So please, don’t demean yourself like this.”

With that concluded, silence formed between them. It was welcomed because it gave them both time to contemplate. Yang saw Blake look down to their hands, still interlocked. She didn’t show any sign of discomfort, but there was still astonishment after everything Yang said.

“I…” Blake appeared ready to speak again, words appeared to form on the tip of her tongue. Yang was eager to see what she’d say. However, instead of words came a harsh cough. Blake suddenly broke the contact to cover her mouth, a violent fit beset her. Yang was shocked, almost terrified at what had befallen her guest so rapidly.

“Blake?!” Yang called out to her. “Are you okay?”

Once the coughing fit passed, Blake took a moment before she spoke again, her mouth uncovered. “I’m… I’m fine,” she claimed.

“You sure? Do you need anything?” Yang asked in concern. “What even caused that?”

Blake didn’t answer right away. Suddenly, she sat up from her chair at the table, “I need to get back to the bathroom.”

“What? Wait–!” Yang tried to stop her, but Blake immediately turned away to run through the living room and up the stairs. She heard her cough again; the fit quickly became rougher and more persistent. Next she heard the bathroom door slam, then the bath water turned on.

Left alone Yang exhaled heavily, exasperated by that dreadful timing. What even made Blake cough like that? She had no idea, but it sounded sickly. All of a sudden she had the thought her guest could have something, whether Blake knew or not, and it made her worry even more. Although, she was also concerned if Blake took her words to heart, if her trust in her had been strengthened or not. She could only hope that whatever they had now was not ruined.

Suddenly, she remembered something else – it was still only the morning, she needed to get to work. She acted quick she instinctively looked into the fridge if she could find anything to eat on the run – only to remember she already ate. After she closed the fridge door, she ran out of the house and headed towards the lighthouse.

[—————]

Yang spent her whole day in the tower, but she did little work. She wrote only a few reports, observed some of the gulls flying or nesting, and that was it. Another problem that regarded no contact with her employers was the lack of tasks she’d receive. Without that, the most she could do was just fill in some left over reports she didn’t get to complete yet. In addition to all this, there were still no ships that came by here, let alone any ship from her bosses’ organization.

It wasn’t the lack of work that made her stay in all day, though, it was that she mostly avoided Blake for the rest of the day. She wasn’t sure if Blake was okay with what she said to her or how she held her hands, regardless of the coughing fit. The blonde worried all day whether she made her guest uncomfortable the whole time and didn’t say anything. She chastised herself that she allowed her emotions to take control like that. She had a crush on Blake – may as well be honest to herself for now – but there was a strong chance the other woman didn’t feel the same.

Yang feared that she made the dark-haired stranger cautious of her now, so she wanted to make up for her potential mistake. Although she figured she had to conserve food now, she didn’t think one big meal would pose much of a problem for the future. She had a good-quality steak in the fridge’s small freezer compartment. Earlier today she went back to the guest house (and thankfully hadn’t encountered Blake then) to take it out and let it thaw.

She had a whole plan for tonight – cook a hearty meal for herself and Blake, apologize for any lines crossed, and discuss boundaries either of them would like to set. She still had numerous spices she requested for and gotten from an earlier boat arrival, which included a few vegetables; she could make something close to her family’s home cooking, if not exactly that. Either way, she could only hope it would be something Blake would enjoy enough that she’d forgive her.

Right now, she was in the building’s library, she again read the informative book on seals. It was already close to sundown, the grey cloudy sky close now almost black, the blonde wickie reckoned now was a good time to make dinner. She put the book back in its place on the shelf and headed down the spiral staircase. She exited the tower and headed straight for the little house, the extremely short stroll always felt easier each time she walked this way, back and forth. The woman opened the front door, she was met by near-complete darkness. The lack of windows on the first floor often made it very dim.

What Yang would have done next would be turn on the living room lights, get into the kitchen to prepare, get Blake to come down if she’d like any, and then have another talk. She earnestly expected she was going to do that. Instead, just seconds before she could switch the lights on, she heard the sound of dripping. It’s somewhere nearby, but she couldn’t figure out from where. Could it have been from the faucet? From a wet spot on the ceiling? She really didn’t want to deal with water maintenance right now, of all times.

But then she heard something squelch, or a sound similar. Something wet and abundant that was freshly torn apart. She didn’t like that sound for a second, it sent shivers down her spine. It was consistent, as if something was eaten. She stood very still and tried to focus on where it was coming from. After a second, she thought it was the kitchen. When she took a quiet step in that direction, the sound was louder – or rather, she got closer to it, which meant she was right to assume where it was. 

Yang slowly stalked over to the kitchen, careful not to provoke anything that’d attack her. She was at the kitchen’s entrance; the kitchen and back door windows barely provided any light from the cloudy night sky, but she was able to see a silhouette close to where the fridge would be. She hadn’t been noticed as of yet, indicated by the wet tearing sound still present. Yang remembered the room’s layout, there was a light switch on the kitchen opening’s right side, which would turn on the ceiling lamp. She reached over, found the switch and flipped on.

With the light now on, she was immediately alarmed by what she sees. It was Blake, who stood stark naked in the kitchen – her hair was soaked and she was dripping everywhere, with some puddles all over the floor. What really disturbed Yang, though, was the large piece of raw meat in her hands, with chunks of it torn off. One of those chunks was still in her mouth, her lips and chin stained red from the meat. It was the steak she planned to cook for them.

Blake gaped at her as Yang did the same, caught in this animalistic act she committed. No one said a word for a good while, both women acted like deer caught in headlights. Yang didn’t even know what to do, what to even say, in response to all this. Her guest was eating raw beef in her birthday suit, apparently and completely wet no less. 

“… What the FUCK?!” Yang managed to shout, she snapped out of the lack of action taken. As soon as she cursed, though, Blake dropped the meat and ran towards the backdoor, she almost burst through it. She sped out of the house and left Yang even more stunned than before.

“What? … Oh my God,” Yang frustratedly vented, then moved to give chase. “Are you kidding me right now?!”

She stomped out the door and ran in hopes she’d catch up to the apparent thief. She looked around for where she could have gone, and luckily saw her – she ran towards inland, away from the lighthouse and the cliffs. The blonde sped after, determined to catch Blake, and make her explain herself. Although the stranger had a head start, she seemed to be an excellent runner, to her credit. However, Yang ws no pushover when it came to the same activity.

She didn’t know how long or how far they ran, how long she raced after her or how far ahead she was, but she felt nowhere near the need to stop. She’d run and run until she’d catch Blake. However, it seemed this chase was coming to an end. She noticed Blake slowed down, and she started to lose her form. She believed Blake had gotten tired, that Blake believed she got away. She was ready to surprise her, almost eager to catch the runner.

And then Blake fell, dropped like a fly to the ground. Yang stopped and stared wide eyed, confused as to what just happened. Her chest rose up and down; she panted as she tried to catch her breath and figure out what just happened. A moment ago, she saw her eat uncooked meat in the house, then she ran, and now something’s wrong with her again. This just became the most bizarre experience she had here, if not in her entire life. However, with there being something wrong with Blake, Yang resumed her run to catch up to her.

“Blake?!” Yang called as she got to her, the stranger crumbled and unconscious on the ground. She kneeled down and picked her up, she checked her pulse to find it was faint, her breathing shallow. Was it the meat she ate? Did it get spoiled and neither of them knew? She swore it was sealed and stored safely. However, any thought of the meat was discarded when she saw something dark had spread from Blake’s back. As she turned her over, she was scared by what she witnessed.

What used to be a scar on Blake’s back was no longer a scar at all. It spread well over her whole back shoulder and reached into the left side of the lower back as well. It was no longer a light color either, now much darker and sicklier than when she first saw it. The mark was slightly sunken, as if the skin and flesh that was there had been cut off. It didn’t appear as an old scar anymore either, the texture of it scabbier. It was like a fresh wound that just started to heal.

She didn’t know what this situation was anymore. First Blake pulled this disgusting stunt, then she apparently fell ill, and her previously small scar is a grievous injury now. How does this happen within just ten days of meeting a person? Could this be some nightmare? Was this just a terrifying delusion? She felt like she just lost her grip on reality and she fell into some sort of dark fantasy she wanted no part of.

“What the hell is happening…?” Yang questioned to herself.

“… Water…” caught off guard, Yang looked down to see Blake conscious again, who weakly looked up at her. Her amber eyes, that shined bright only moments ago, now seemed dim and cloudy.

“What?” asked Yang.

“… I need… to be in… water…” Blake faintly muttered. Water? Yang mentally questioned why water would help her now. She obviously needed medical attention!

However, she suddenly remembered that Blake liked to be in the bathroom and sit in a bath. As disturbed as she was but this predicament, she realized that there may be a reason she had done that for every day she was here. With a new goal in mind, Yang picked her guest up and carried her cautiously as she ran back towards the guest house.


	3. Chapter 3

Yang drained the bathtub, disposed of the cold water that sat there beforehand. She turned on the water again, it was set warm but not too hot. The moment she deemed there was enough water, she laid Blake into the tub. She saw Blake’s pained expression lessen somewhat once she was in the water. She sat down on the floor next to the tub and contemplated whether this would really help Blake feel better, but all she could do was put her faith in this odd process.

When she had managed to get herself and Blake into the guest house, she had the fear that her guest was dying. She certainly knew this fact the whole time since she appeared. If Yang’s deduction was true, then this could mean Blake had a few secrets. During the time she waited for Blake to recover, she wished that Blake told her about this. She wished that the stranger told her anything about her condition, even if just a hint. Yang could have helped her, or gotten her the necessary care, or something! She just wanted to do more for her, and it killed her to not know what should be done. 

Although, Yang was not completely sure why she wanted to help Blake at this point. Just several moments ago, she had caught her bare and eating raw meat like a wild animal, and all she could think right now was how she could care for her. Logically, she probably shouldn’t provide her shelter. But even though that’d be cruel of her, it was more than just kindness that drove her. She genuinely, almost desperately, wanted to comfort Blake, to do anything for her. She wasn’t sure if it was simple attraction that inspired her because she felt a stronger force at play here. What that could be, she did not know yet.

She was taken out of her thoughts all of a sudden, when she heard Blake mumble. She looked over to her and saw some color return to her visitor’s complexion, but she was still as pale as before. Blake slowly sat up, water dripped from her hair and back. When he moved her wavy black hair to the side and exposed her bare back a, Yang saw something miraculous occur. 

The injury seemingly healed, extremely rapidly, and changed in size and color into a scar again, one that was both a little darker and larger than previously. Yang was still unsure if this was a hallucination or not, but at the very least she was glad that the severity of the lesion had gone away. Even if it was just a deception to her eyes. However, she feared that this could happen again if Blake stayed away from being in water.

Blake turned her head to look at Yang, she donned an explicitly guilty expression as soon as she did so. 

Yang gazed back at her with a neutral but stern look and asked, “How are you feeling?”

Blake looked away slightly from her, her guilt still clear, “… Better, I think.”

Yang sighed, “That’s good, at least.”

“Is… is the… scar on my back still there?” Blake cautiously asked. Yang took a moment before she answered. It seemed Blake was aware her secret was seen,

“… It’s smaller than it was earlier,” Yang honestly informed her. “But it’s still there.”

Blake groaned, “Of course it is.”

“That could happen again, can it?” Yang interrogated. “It’d get worse if you’re not in water?”

“… Yes,” Blake affirmed. “It will worsen no matter what.”

“You didn’t tell me about this,” Yang proclaimed.

“… No… I didn’t,” Blake admitted.

“Why?”

“You… I thought you wouldn’t understand,” Blake alleged. “Or that you wouldn’t believe me… or trust me.”

“I made it clear I only wanted to help,” Yang retorted. “I even made it clear I would trust you!”

“I know… I know…” Blake cried remorsefully; tears formed at the corners of her eyes.

“… I wanted you to trust me too,” Yang confessed. “I wanted you to feel safe with me, to put your confidence in me.”

Blake’s on the verge of weeping, a single tear already trickled down her cheek. 

Yang saw that and sighed, “But I get it.” Her guest puzzledly gazed at Yang in response to that. 

“It’s hard to trust someone you’ve just met, I know,” Yang explained. “I didn’t tell you everything about myself, anyway. If you don’t want to tell me everything about you, I understand. I’d never make you talk when you don’t want to.”

She then stared directly at her with an unyielding look, “But if you’re not okay, if your health is at risk, then I  _ need _ you to tell me. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you get the medical attention you need. I won’t let you die on my watch; I promise.”

Blake was wide eyed and amazed at what Yang told her. It was evident that no one had given her this kind of honesty, upfront no less. She didn’t say anything, so Yang could only guess that what she said was taken to heart.

“Talk to me when you’re comfortable or you need to, okay?” Yang finished with an earnest request. “I’m gonna see if I can make something to eat. I uh… don’t know if you’re still… hungry… but you’re welcome to come down if you’d like anything.”

With that, Yang stood up and headed towards the door to let Blake soak in the water privately, for the time being. Now she had to think of what exactly she’d eat tonight, since the steak was obviously out of the question–

“Yang, wait,” Blake called. Yang turned back to her, surprised she had something to tell her already.

“What?” Yang inquired.

“There’s some things I need to tell you,” Blake disclosed. “They’re… really important.”

Yang blinked but complied with her invitation. She walked back over to the tub and sat on the floor again. “Alright… what is it?”

“It… isn’t easy to explain this,” Blake nervously claimed.

“Just take your time, it’s fine,” Yang assured. “Whatever it is, I’ll listen to you and believe you.”

Blake exhaled and relaxed somewhat, “I’m… not human.”

… She’s not what? 

Yang quirked a brow at the peculiar statement but didn’t say a thing, as she allowed her guest to continue her revelations in confidence.

“There’s… a whole different world within this one… a world you and others like you don’t see at first,” she explained mysteriously. “I’m… from this different world. I’m someone who’s part of an entire race who lives most of their lives in the sea. We only come to the surface if we want to learn or hear of stories about the humans on land and the cultures they have.”

“… Okay?” Yang responded, trying to appear she understood.

“Do you know what a Selkie is?” Blake asked, which further confused Yang.

“Huh?”

“We’re a people who can change our form,” she informed Yang, who was taken aback with how she worded that. “We live our lives as seals, living like any other animal in the oceans, but on land… we can change ourselves into a human form. We’ve been doing this for centuries, if not thousands and thousands of years.”

“What…? Blake I… I don’t understand,” said Yang, but she had a very distinct feeling that she in fact did understand.

“Yang… I’m a selkie,” Blake revealed. Yang’s thankful that she sat while she listened to this.

All of a sudden, none of this made sense to her. All of the stories Summer read to her, or she read to Ruby, they were just stories. Nothing but tales of the fantastical and unreal. She remembered how she heard of selkies at least once, but no more than that. They were still supposed to be fairy tales, yet here she was in the presence of someone who claimed to be one. She couldn’t make heads or tails out of this dilemma.

However, in a strange paradoxical sense, it made perfect sense to her as well. The consumption of raw or live meat, the affinity for water, the general mysterious nature of Blake’s condition; none of that had a logical explanation to it. Her head spun over the information she was given, able and unable to explain this phenomena all at the same time. Ironically, she wished that the book on seals in the lighthouse had something on selkies, though she figured that wouldn’t have been very scientific of the authors to write that.

“You’re… serious?” Yang asked, her reality shaken.

Blake nodded, “It’s the truth. I swear.”

“I… wow…” Yang grasped her head in shock. “That… really… I’m speechless!”

“I know it’s very strange,” Blake admitted. “But it’s true. I am a selkie.”

“… Okay, alright, uh… yeah,” Yang fumbled. “So, you’re a selkie. That’s… a thing. But, uh… what does have to do with… you know.”

At that, Blake looked down to the water she was in. Her expression a mix of pain, sorrow, guilt, anxiety – numerous negative emotions that Yang didn’t think could be conveyed all at the same time. It was clearly a heavy question for her, Yang regretted that she asked it without any thought beforehand. She wanted to say that she didn’t need to talk about it now, but Blake spoke again before she could.

“There’s… a specific way we transform,” she claimed. “When we come onto land, we can take off the skin of our seal forms, which we call our ‘sealskins.’ When we do, we come out appearing completely human. We can only turn back by putting on our sealskin once we’re in the water.”

“Oh…… damn,” Yang amazed by the description of how they changed forms. It sounded somewhat hardcore to her.

“But… there’s a risk with this transition,” Blake slowly explained. “If our sealskin is… forced off of us, it can cause a disruption within ourselves, an imbalance in body and spirit. If we are not balanced out in time… we would die.”

“Oh no…!” Yang muttered in horror.

“A few months ago… a human caught me, while I was hunting,” Blake divulged, her tone very much pained. “He knew what I am and… he made me take off my skin. He grew impatient, so he… he took a knife and… cut me out of it. He sliced and tore my own skin off my back. That… that  _ monster _ held me in his dwelling for months… but I escaped. And I managed to swim here. That’s how I even met you, I suppose.”

Yang was speechless, horrified that this happened to Blake and furious that someone would do such a heartless thing to her. She was enraged at this inhuman act done to her guest. For now, though, she kept her composure and continued to listen.

“But he still has my sealskin,” Blake despaired. “I will die if I don’t put it on again. Staying in water and consuming meat can temporarily balance me out and prevent myself from dying, but it’s… inevitable. Eventually, the wound will grow no matter I do, to a point I can no longer handle it and then… I’ll die.”

“Oh… oh Gods… I’m so sorry Blake,” Yang tried to comfort her. She wasn’t sure if she could even sympathize with her – she was a typical human being while Blake was a fantasy creature who would die because of someone’s cruelty. It was a twisted joke the universe played on her guest, and Yang wholeheartedly despised it.

“How could anyone do this…?” Yang muttered, sickened by this criminal offense. 

“Because humans hunt us!” Blake abruptly exclaimed in answer, which caught Yang off guard. 

“They hunt us down because they think our sealskin will grant them abilities, or we can provide magical children for them. All the stories of us are about humans stealing our skins, forcing us to be their mates! They aren’t even smart enough to know that those stories aren’t true! They never were! But they’re too cruel to even care about that.

“And the man who did this to me… the things he said and did to me to try to get what he wanted… he was cruel and selfish, and he may have damaged me to beyond the point of repair. I’m dying because of him… he killed me…!”

Blake broke down, violent sobs racked her body and made the water shift and splash. Yang watched her in stunned silence, unable to comfort the woman who was slowly dying in front of her. She couldn’t do anything to make her feel better, and it left her distraught. She felt like a failure, because it seemed that in the end, she could not help Blake after all.

After she managed to cease her cries, Blake spoke again, “… That’s why I didn’t tell you before. I–I didn’t know if I could trust another human again. You’re the first I’ve met who’s been… k–kind a–and honest to me… and what do I do? I broke your trust in me. I let you down, Yang… I’m sorry.”

Yang’s quiet at the heartbroken confession, still unable to find a proper response to anything she said. Funny, she felt it was uncharacteristic of her to be so speechless like that. She really hated how she felt.

“… You must think even less of me now,” voiced Blake in an emotionless tone. “That I’m not trustworthy anymore, or even ‘pretty’ or ‘beautiful’ like you thought. You might even hate me now… I wouldn’t blame you.”

The way she said that so casually further killed Yang’s ability to speak. None of it was true, not a single word of it, but she still couldn’t give a response. She still just thought that she couldn’t help nor comfort her. She hated how helpless she felt right now, how she felt she couldn’t do anything for the other woman. If only she could do something, such as find her sealskin for her so she could heal, then maybe she could fix her mistakes!

Suddenly, she repeated that thought – “find her sealskin.” The person who stole it from Blake, did he believe it could give him some sort of gifts or power? Or did he take it to force her to bear children? Whatever the reason, she realized something – this man could still have the sealskin. He could be on the search for her with the intent to recapture her, but Yang wouldn’t ever allow that. If they ever encounter him then maybe, just maybe, they could take the skin from him.

As she finally found what to say, Yang confidently announced, “We’ll get it back.”

Blake looked at her befuddled, “What?”

“Your sealskin! We’ll get it back!” Yang declared and stood up proudly. “I’ll go looking for the man who caught you and take back your skin from him! I’ll make him pay for what he did.”

“Yang, no!” Blake cried as she stood up also to meet Yang at eye level. “He’s dangerous! Adam would do anything to take me back! He’d kill you if you could!”

“Adam?” Yang repeated. “Great, we have a name to search for!”

“Yang–!”

“Blake, I have to do this,” the lighthouse keeper interrupted. “You’re going to die if you don’t get your sealskin back. I won’t let that happen, and if there’s a chance he hasn’t destroyed it, then I’m going to act.”

This time Blake was left speechless, but her awe was still marred by fear in her expression. To reassure her, Yang reached over to take hold of her hands to try and keep her guest grounded and comforted as well.

“Blake… if you die, I’d be the one who let you down,” she continued. “I’ll never forgive myself if I do nothing. I have to do this, regardless if I fail… and I  _ won’t _ fail you.”

“… Why would you do this?” Blake questioned desperately. “For me, of all people?”

“… It’s the right thing to do,” Yang answered. She wasn’t sure if that was the whole truth but she pushed that thought down for now.

“… I… wouldn’t forgive myself either, if you died helping me,” Blake confided.

“Then I won’t die,” Yang countered in confidence. “I promise.”

Blake didn’t say anything for a minute, as she appeared to take solace in the contact between them. Yang was internally surprised that Blake seemed to be comforted by the touch. 

The apparent selkie then broke the silence with an awkward chuckle, “You’re awfully confident about this.”

“Well, I should be,” Yang asserted. “Otherwise, I couldn’t do it at all.”

“I still don’t think you should,” Blake admitted.

“I know… but I will anyway,” said Yang.

Blake ultimately relented, she seemed unable to tell her to do otherwise. “Alright… just, please, don’t die.”

“I promise,” Yang affirmed. “Don’t you die on me too.”

“I… can’t promise that… but I’ll try,” said Blake in an attempt to sound confident.

“Thank you,” Yang acknowledged.

They stood there for a good while, both calmed by how their fingers were intertwined. Eventually, they broke apart and gave each other some space for the night. Yang didn’t have much of an appetite for any dinner, so she went to bed soon after. Before she fell into a deep sleep, she hoped that she indeed had what it would take to succeed and survive.

[—————]

A week later and, so far, Yang found no lead on “Adam.” She already started her search the day after she declared she would, she even ignored her work in the lighthouse. It wasn’t exactly easy in the first place, unfortunately – her options were already limited as she had no contact with her employers. They still hadn’t sent any ships to resupply her stock, she already had to make rations. Regardless, she first put her investigations into action and went inland.

She walked down the path into the country, which she saw some locals take when they passed here by chance. She initially thought she’d walk miles, since she owned no car or other form of transportation, but she was surprised to come upon a rural town along the coasts, although it was still quite distant from the lighthouse. She encountered the residents there, introduced herself; many were surprised to hear that she, a Chinese American and not a Scot, was the one who operated the lighthouse up the coast. Either way, they were all polite and conversational with her.

However, when she got around to ask anything about Adam – or just a fisher who may have caught a seal – she received no answers. She was told that multiple vessels have passed by their part on the coast and more than just fishing boats, but none that had any seals. If she wanted to find a boat that had a seal it’d be one that hunted them illegally, which meant to find one would be extremely difficult. Without any progress, she trekked back to the lighthouse.

Right now, Yang was in the lighthouse’s library. Despite her dislike for the old building, she found it a little calming to be in this room or the bedroom below. She didn’t have too much affinity to read, but the knowledge the books provided helped her get her mind off some stressors. She read the one about seals again to observe the details of each animal the work described. She wanted to remember how seals look, what patterns they had, in case it could help her recognize a sealskin, potentially Blake’s. 

She wondered what kind of seal Blake was exactly. Maybe she was a harbor or grey seal, which were abundant in these seas. It would make sense, as she took into consideration that the dark-haired woman lived in the North Atlantic, near the Scottish coasts. However, Blake could be another species of seal instead, relocated or even taken from her natural environment. She didn’t know how likely this possibility was, but it was important to consider.

Although it was only the start of this search, she could already feel the doubts crept up in her mind. What if they didn’t find Adam? What if Blake’s sealskin was lost forever? What if there was no other way to save her? Yang tried to suppress those thoughts as much as she could, she wanted to stay confident and optimistic throughout this process, but the thoughts still came up. She wished she could truly feel doubtless rather than put on a façade for Blake. She couldn’t let Blake die, let alone fear it, she had to push forward and do something.

All of a sudden, Yang heard footsteps come up the stairs. She was thankful for the noise that broke her out of her thoughts. As she turned around, she soon saw Blake run out of the stairway and into the library room. 

“Yang…!” she called to her breathlessly.

“Blake? What’s wrong?” the blonde asked. Blake wouldn’t have exerted the energy she had if this hadn’t been important.

“There’s… there’s a ship…!” she managed to say. With her brow quirked, Yang turned around to the window behind her. The cliff was somewhat in the way, but she can see the upper outline of a boat, a large one at that. She couldn’t tell what kind of vessel it was, let alone not expect one to come today.

“Oh… well, guess I better do my job,” Yang commented. She got up from her chair, and headed up the stairs towards the light room. Blake anxiously followed her.

They got to the room and in there was the lamp presented before them. As told by her employers, the people who built the tower used a large oil lamp for the light, much like the many lighthouses at the time used. It still used oil to burn, hence why the tower’s oil room wasn’t obsolete, unlike the provisions room. The lamp was extremely bright, even this up close to it, so whenever she’d turn it on she headed straight down the stairs, since she didn’t want to be blinded. She looked out through the light room’s surrounding window structure, and she got a clearer look at the boat in question.

It was an old fishing boat, from what she could tell. It was colored in red and black, some of the paint chipped off and was discolored by rust. It wasn’t a very impressive vessel, she thought, but for some reason she had a strange sense of familiarity with it. Either way, she didn’t know why it came by here, or why it just floated in the water. It wasn’t particularly foggy today, the helmsman should be able to see, yet there it stayed still in the ocean. 

She shrugged the thought off and moved to light the lamp. However, Blake swiftly took hold of her wrist to stop her from that. “Don’t…!” her guest pleaded.

“What–Blake?!” Yang blurted out in surprise. “What are you doing?!”

“We can’t let them know we’re here!” Blake exclaimed.

“They just need to be guided down the route here,” Yang reasoned. “It’s just a boat!”

“That’s ADAM’S boat!”

Suddenly, Yang felt like she was been whopped across the face. “That’s… Adam’s…?”

“He’s looking for me… I think he’s looking for me!” Blake panicked, utter terror consumed her mind and expression.

“Shit…!” Yang cursed at this turn of events. What a horrid irony, to be found by the monster they just started to search for. She found no humor in their current misfortune.

“It’s alright, he couldn’t know you’re here,” Yang tried to rationalize the coincidence. “He’s probably here by chance alone.”

Blake said nothing, her eyes widened, and her fear increased. Puzzled, Yang turned to where Blake looked. In that moment, she saw the ship turn towards land. A terrified realization struck her there like lightning – Adam, if it really was him, had moved his ship towards the docks. No one came to the docks unless they needed to unload something, or any other action that required a sailor to be on land.

“He’s coming here…!” Blake muttered fearfully. 

Yang procured a moment to think. Her own fear started to creep up, as she was unsure and unready to deal with the enemy this moment. However, she soon came up with an idea, a thought of partial self-sacrifice, that gave her the boost needed to produce something. She didn’t think Blake would like her idea, but it was the only thing she could work with right now. With her plan conceived, she turned to Blake and said, “We should get back to the house.”

Blake nodded her head in agreement and Yang speedily led them back down the stairs. As soon as they got out to the tower’s last floor, they burst through the front doors. Yang looked around; she didn’t see anyone come up to level ground yet. She assumed they had some time, so Yang took Blake’s hand in hers and ran towards the guest house. They headed for the back door, in the desperate hope that the potentially-new “guest” wouldn’t see them.

Once they got inside, they continued further into the house. “Get to the bathroom,” Yang decreed. They passed the kitchen, went through the living room, turned to go up the stairs, skipped the bed and got to the restroom.

Yang turned to look at Blake, ready to enact a scheme. “Stay in the bathroom, get in the water and recuperate. I’ll make sure you won’t be found.”

“… What are you going to do?” Blake asked, nervous at what the blonde implied.

“I’m… going to stall him,” Yang hesitantly admitted. “I’ll try to make him go back. If not, I’ll just make him stay in the lighthouse.”

“Yang, no!” Blake discouraged. “You don’t know what he could do!”

“I’ll be fine, I promise,” Yang claimed, but she didn’t sound too confident.

“But–!”

Yang interrupted, “Just stay here, I swear he won’t get anywhere near you. Okay?”

“I…… alright,” her guest relented with a sigh. “… Please, be safe.”

“I promise, I will,” Yang proclaimed as she raised her hand to gently hold Blake’s arm as a gesture of reassurance. Blake nodded in acknowledgement of the promise, then went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. 

Yang sighed, glad that Blake was safe for the moment. She turned back and went down the stairs, the front door her destination. She hesitated for a moment and wondered if this Adam was so unstable he’d attack on sight. Blake voiced so much fear in regard to him, it made her worry if anything she’d do to get Blake’s sealskin back would be in vain against him. But she couldn’t let her own qualms get the better of her if she wanted to succeed. She would get her guest’s sealskin back, no matter what.

With her nerves steeled, she opened the door and stepped out of the house. She looked around the grassy land and had yet to see another person. She wasn’t sure if she should go down to the dock and see if he was there. Frankly, she didn’t want to. Maybe she could wait by the lighthouse or even the edge of the cliff, see if anyone would come up from that ship–

She abruptly heard a voice call out, “Hello there!”

Yang turned around and gazed towards the downslope in the land. Below the slope was where the dock was, between the sea and coast. What came up from the incline is a tall man, and even from there she could feel a horrid energy exude from him. His spiked hair was a mix of red and brown and his skin was a very pale shade of white, possibly because he seldom gone out into the sun if not ever. 

He wore all black clothing that was barely distinguishable – his jacket, shirt, pants, even his shoes all seemed to be one single garb. What particularly stood out to her though is the piece of fabric wrapped around his head, covered over his left eye. She wasn’t sure if it was an old injury or a recent one, or if it was due to some kind of affliction, but he definitely had a missing eye. His right eye, uncovered and functional, was a bright blue in color.

He strolled over toward her position. Yang felt herself become more and more uncomfortable the closer he came, but she restrained herself to not express any of that.

“Am I right to presume you live here?” he asked casually, an eerie grin plastered over his face.

“… That’s right,” Yang cautiously affirmed. “I run the lighthouse here.”

“Is that so?” the man remarked. “Then I have you to thank for guiding my magnificent ship.”

“I’m just doing my job,” Yang stated modestly. “Ships come by, they get lost, I turn on the light, and they go on their way. Today’s no different.” It wasn’t a very impressive ship that he sported anyway, she snidely thought to herself. Her humor helped make her feel less unsettled, even though she couldn’t say it.

“Oh, I’m sure they’re not very exciting for you,” he alleged. “Although, I wasn’t exactly referring to today.”

Yang raised a brow, bemused, “Come again?”

“Oh, where are my manners!” the sailor exclaimed, not answering her question. “My name is Adam. Adam Taurus.”

So, it was him after all. “… Yang,” she responded reluctantly.

“Might I come into your home?” Adam requested, who was awfully presumptuous to think he could ask such. “I need to rest up after such a long journey and–!”

“This is private property,” Yang interrupted. “I’m not allowed to let people in here. You need to go.”

“Go?” Adam repeated in surprise. “But I don’t plan to stay. I’ll only be here a moment–!”

“That’s not allowed,” Yang declared. “Get back on your ship and leave.”

“… Well, aren’t you quite rude,” Adam observed, his friendly façade already broke to make way for a sneer. “Turning away a visitor as speedily as they arrive.”

“It’s in the job description, so, I have to be rude,” Yang snarked.

Adam stood there for a long moment to scowl at her, his expression clearly showed how he thought he didn’t like her at the same time. However, he then shifted into a calmer appearance.

“… Maybe we can make a compromise,” he proclaimed.

“Oh? And what would that be?” Yang inquired.

“Perhaps you can let me… relax in your lighthouse?” He proposed.

“And why would I do that?”

“Because I won’t stay in there for long,” he appealed. “Obviously, you don’t live in that old place, or you wouldn’t have come out of this house. I say you let me stay in the lighthouse and I will leave once I’ve regained my bearings.”

“… Why do you want to rest up around here, anyway?” Yang interrogated.

“I’m… looking for someone,” he admitted partially. “I need to ask around here because this is where I last saw her. If I don’t find her I’m afraid there could be… consequences.”

He really was on the search for Blake, Yang concluded. Her fears were confirmed, and she really didn’t want to deal with him. If he thought that Blake was here in some way, she was afraid of what he’d do to make her come out. Right now, she wanted him to leave this instant, but she wasn’t sure if she could make him.

“… Although,” Adam continued. “If you don’t know anything about them, then I won’t stay for much longer. Just a moment to stand on solid ground, and I’ll be on my way.”

“… You mean that?” Yang queried. She had no intent to trust his word.

“I swear it, on my word as a sailor,” he claimed, seemingly confident.

This would be against better judgement, but she supposed she could lead him off if she granted his request. Despite the decision, she’d be sure to keep her eyes on her enemy at all times.

“… Alright, fine,” she relented. “But the lighthouse is the only place you can stay. Don’t go anywhere else.”

“Why thank you for your hospitality,” Adam commented, he barely hid his own cynicism.

“I’ll lead you up the way,” Yang proclaimed. She headed towards the lighthouse and made Adam follow her.

They got to the lighthouse, only a few feet away, and Yang opened the door. “After you,” she offered. Adam gave no objection and went inside, she followed suit and closed the door behind her. They passed the empty ground floor, passed the oil room on the second floor, then reached the old kitchen on the third.

“Stop here,” Yang ordered. “You only get to stay in here.”

“It’s rather dirty,” Adam remarked with disgust. “Can’t we go somewhere else in here?”

“You’re welcome to stay in the oil room below,” she deadpanned.

As he seemed to realize he would not be given a choice, he groaned and went into the kitchen. He sat at the small dining table, placed parallel to the stove. Yang moved over to that side, she eyed him discreetly and kept her distance. “Alright so what is it you want?” Yang demanded of him. “You’re looking for someone?”

“Can’t you provide me some refreshment or food?” Adam queried condescendingly. “It’s impolite to be a bad host, you know.”

“Answer the question,” Yang unrelentingly commanded.

At that, Adam grumbled, “Yes, yes, I’m looking for someone. She ran away from our home; I just want to get her back.”

“Do you have a description of her?” Yang queried.

“Black hair, yellow eyes, small nose and lips, pale skin, and a frail figure,” Adam informed her.

“Her name?” Yang asked.

“Oh, it’s… Blake, I think,” he fumbled.

“You ‘think?’”

“It’s, ah, been a while since I’ve last seen her,” he claimed. “We haven’t really known each other for long either.”

Yang didn’t like this, since he basically confirmed that he indeed wanted Blake, even if he didn’t know that she had her. However, she was curious as to why he could only barely remember Blake’s name and decided to probe into that.

“How long have you known each other?” Yang asked. Adam, who clearly did not expect that question, hesitated before he spoke.

“We’ve met, ah, three months ago!” he claimed. “In our… in our home village.”

“And where is that?”

“Uh… in the… uh – Northern Isles.” he exclaimed. “Yes, the Northern Isles, that’s where we live.”

“Which Isle?”

“Huh?”

“There're two island groups making up the Northern Isles,” Yang explained. “Which one?”

“…… Uhm…” Adam couldn’t say anything, the holes in his story already started to show. “It… it doesn’t matter.”

“It doesn’t  _ matter _ ?” Yang repeated in question of his choice of words.

“It doesn’t matter!” Adam repeated, anger rising up in his tone. “I don’t have to tell you where I’m from. I just want to find Blake and take her with me, that’s it.”

“… What’s your relationship with her, exactly?” Yang inquired.

“She’s my… betrothed, let’s say,” he stated. 

Yang raised her brow at his answer. Was that his intent when he caught her? He wanted to  _ marry _ Blake? Did he want children out of her, as the stories say? Despite the multitude of questions that came up in her mind, she had to focus on the present situation right now. For the most of it, though, she understood that he lied that they were legitimately betrothed. 

“I intend to take her back home, and we’ll finally be together,” he proclaimed. “She may have had cold feet, but she wants to be with me. She’ll come back with me.”

“… And if she doesn’t want to?” Yang asked.

Adam’s taken aback by the hypothetical. “What?”

“What if she doesn’t want to go with you?” she questioned. “Maybe she ran away for a reason?”

Adam stood up from his seat in angered protest, “How DARE you presume that?! What would you know of her leaving?!”

Yang took a step back and almost bumped into the stove and kitchen counter. She hated to admit it, but this man knew how to be an intimidating force. This whole time she wondered what exactly made Blake fear him, this certainly seemed to be one reason. In addition to that, she had a dreaded feeling that there were many more reasons that she had yet to fear him for. 

“I… I’m only trying to understand why this happened–!” she tried to justify her questions.

“You don’t have to understand  _ anything _ ,” he seethed, almost threatening her. “Just tell me if you’ve seen her.”

“… I haven’t,” she said. She was glad that he couldn’t tell that it was a lie.

Adam exhaled frustratedly, sat back down and raised his hand to grip the bridge of his nose. Yang gazed at him in unease, unable to tell what he went on in his head.

“… Fine, then,” he announced and sat up once more. “I’ll just go.”

Yang quirked a brow unexpectedly. “That’s it? You’re going already?”

“If she isn’t here, I’ll find her somewhere else,” he proclaimed walked to the staircase. “I’ll find her, and we’ll be together. Maybe I’ll give her my gift to her if she’s good.”

“Gift?” Yang repeated questioningly.

Adam hesitated before he explained, “It’s a sealskin I have on my boat. I… got it off a seal I caught once. I’ll give it to her once we’re together.”

Sealskin… it could be Blake's sealskin. The most sudden and drastic idea came to Yang’s head, and the only time she can act on it was now.

“Wait!” she yelled aloud, which successfully pulled Adam’s attention before he could stroll down the stairs. “What if you… stayed here?”

“What?”

Yang really didn’t want to do this, every part of her screamed at her not to do this, but she strongly believed that she had to. If Adam really did have Blake’s sealskin on his ship, then maybe she could take it in secret and return it to Blake. She’d need to do that while Adam was still here, and while his boat was down there at the dock. It was most likely a risky plan, vulnerable to failure, but it was the best option she had right now for Blake’s survival.

“I haven’t seen her, yet,” Yang began. “But what if I help you find her?”

“… And how exactly will you do that?” Adam inquired skeptically.

“I have connections with a town nearby, and I can contact my employers,” she claimed, a lie once more and he didn’t know it. “I can get people to search for her. If you both came from the Northern Isles, she couldn’t have gotten too far.”

“… Really?” he questioned. “You’d help me? Why?”

“Because, um… I help people no matter what,” she claimed. “It’s the right thing to do.”

She felt absolutely disgusted with herself as she tried to make him believe that she wanted to help. To help someone might be the right thing to do, but she had no true intention to help this prick. To use her morals to deceive someone, even if they were a vile person, didn’t feel right to her at all. However, if it would help her get closer to Blake’s sealskin, which was already so close to her now, then that was exactly what she’d do. She didn’t really have other options.

“… Very well then!” Adam exclaimed, who suddenly seemed to be convinced. “I’m grateful for the help. But what will I do until she is found?”

“Oh, well, you can stay in here,” said Yang.

“What happened to not be letting in visitors here?” Adam retorted, her own words used against her. “And do I still have to stay in here.”

“… Consider yourself a VIP, I suppose,” Yang countered with the implication she’d bend the rules. “Also, there’s a bedroom upstairs to sleep in, and a library upstairs in case you get bored. But you don’t get to come into the guest house, I live there.”

“Alright, I accept,” Adam declared and raised up his hand to gesture a handshake. “I look forward to working with you.”

“Uh… sure, same,” Yang muttered and reluctantly shook his hand. She despised the contact between them, his pale skin felt wet and sickly. She was internally grateful the moment she took her hand away from his.

Adam looked around at his surroundings before he commented, “You know, I’m glad to have a change of setting to live in, but it seems this place has gone to shit while you’ve been working here. Perhaps this place could benefit from a ‘man’s touch,’ hmm?”

It took every inch of Yang’s self-control to not strangle him right then and there, simply furious at the sexist remark and his condescending attitude. Though, thanks to that self-control, and her need to get Blake’s sealskin back, she didn’t do that at all. Once this was all over, she’d be sure to make Adam pay for this, for everything else he had done.

“… I’ll come back later if you need or want anything,” she claimed. “Enjoy your stay.”

With their conversation finally and thankfully finished, she moved past him and paid no attention to the arrogant grin Adam bore. She got down to the last floor, opened the doors and stepped out of the lighthouse. As the doors closed themselves behind her, she strolled over to the guest house, eager to be in an environment where there was no presence of Adam whatsoever. 

She got inside, closed the front door behind her, and let out a heavy exhale after her experience with the crude man. Taking a moment to relax, she then went up the staircase, heading towards the bathroom. She knocked on the closed door, “Blake? You still in there?”

“Mm?” She heard a surprised noise and the slosh of water from inside.

“I’m back,” Yang announced.

“What happened?” Blake asked.

Yang sighed, “… Adam’s staying in the lighthouse.”

“Why…?” Blake questioned, slight fear in her voice.

“It’s… complicated,” Yang groaned. “Can you get dressed? I need to talk to you about something.”

“Yang, I need to be in water to stay alive,” Blake reminded her, which made the blonde mentally kick herself for the misstep. “You can just come in here to talk to me.”

“I… you’re not dressed in there, though.”

“… You’ve seen me before. More than once.”

Yang couldn’t argue against that, unfortunately, despite the fact she wanted to. With modesty and privacy thrown to the wind, she turned the doorknob and opened the door. She once again saw Blake seated in the bathtub, filled with water while clothes were strewn on the floor. The dark-haired guest looked up to Yang with a worried expression, obviously concerned with their situation. Despite their dilemma, she found herself relieved and happier to see Blake again after that less-than-favorable talk with Adam.

Yang closed the door behind her, stepped over and sat down in front of the tub to gaze back at Blake. “Hey,” she greeted.

“Why’s Adam still here?” she probed. “You said you’d make him leave.”

“Blake… he still has your sealskin,” Yang informed her.

Blake gasped, stunned by what she was just told. “What?”

“Blake, listen to me, I have a plan,” Yang requested. “I convinced him to stay because your sealskin is on his boat, he said so. When it’s nighttime and he’s asleep, we’ll go down to the dock, get on his ship, and get your sealskin back!”

“I…” Blake’s stunned to silence by the plan Yang explained to her, she didn’t appear to believe it could work. “Do you… think that will work?”

“I know it will,” Yang claimed. “You’ll get better if you get your sealskin back, right?”

“… If I can put it on while in water and it’s undamaged, yes,” Blake confirmed. “My affliction will be healed. I would get to live.”

“That’s great!” Yang exclaimed. “We’ll be able to save you tonight!”

“Yang, you’re not thinking this through,” said Blake. “You don’t know if Adam will even stay up there.”

“Sure, I do, I told him to stay there,” Yang asserted. “I told him not to go anywhere else.”

“And how do you know he will follow your rules?” Blake questioned.

“I… uh…” Yang found herself unable to answer, she hated to admit she didn’t know what he would or wouldn’t do. She didn’t know him, and it appeared she may underestimate him because of that.

“Yang, if you want to do this behind Adam’s back, you need to understand something,” Blake sternly informed her. “He doesn’t fear  _ anything _ . He doesn’t care about others but himself. He does things to serve his own purposes, and he’ll do anything to get what he wants.”

“I… know this seems like a bad plan,” Yang nervously admitted. “But this is our only chance to get your sealskin back!”

“But we could fail!” Blake replied. “Adam could find out what we’re doing, and he’s more than capable enough to stop us!”

“Blake–!”

“You don’t know what he’s done to me!” Blake interrupted; her tone’s fueled by panic. “You don’t know what he could do to you! If–if he hurts you… o–or even kills you… a–and then he takes me again…! I can’t… I can’t…!”

Blake soon devolved into hyperventilation, unable to voice her concerns. Yang watched as her guest had a panic attack before her eyes, and she felt terrible and near-helpless because of it. She wished she could really, truly, assure that this would work, hating how her confidence would fail her and those around her.

However, she could at least assure that everything now was fine. Yang moved up to the other woman, and surprised Blake as she hastily took her into her arms. She didn’t care for one second that she got her clothes wet. She just wanted to be there for her now, to comfort and soothe her. She may not know how this situation would turn out, but no matter what she wanted Blake to believe that everything would be okay.

“I won’t let him hurt me,” she declared. “And I won’t let him take you or do anything to you, ever again. You’ll always be safe with me, I promise.”

She could hear Blake dry sob in her ear, her breathing still very rapid and sharp. Eventually, though, she started to calm down, her breath turned back to normal. The close contact helped to make her feel grounded again, able to feel protected and consoled again. For a second Yang thought the instantaneous embrace had been somewhat of a boundary crossed. Those thoughts were dashed once Blake soon raised her arms out of the water and returned the hug.

They stayed silently encompassed like that for a while, they took comfort in the presence of each other. Yang could get the scent of Blake’s wet hair from this close, which smelled like the salty sea. She could hear Blake quietly hum as she stroked her bare back. She was glad that they could be like this, close enough to be comforted by one another, even if they had only known each other for just some days. Yang hoped that when this would be over, they’d be able to continue to support each other like this.

She didn’t want to separate, but she soon had to. Yang slowly parted herself from her embrace with Blake, but she still held onto Blake’s arms while she met her worrisome amber eyes.

“… I’m sorry I just dropped this on you,” Yang apologized. “But this really is our only chance to get your sealskin back. If we don’t… well, we have to. I don’t want you to die, Blake.”

Blake blinked her watery eyes, and Yang moved her hands up to the selkie’s face to wipe away any tears that threatened to fall from the guest’s amber eyes.

“I won’t ever, in either of our lifetimes, force you into anything you don’t want,” Yang swore to her. “This is your life, Blake, so it’s your choice. What do you want to do?”

Blake didn’t say a response yet, she just used that moment to stare at Yang, then looked down to the water. Yang could only look on at her guest’s mannerisms and wait for an answer, whatever it may be. Then, after an exhale, Blake gazed back up to her with slight determination.

“When tonight should we do this?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains an explicit sex scene! Please turn away IMMEDIATELY if you are under the age of 18!

The sky’s turned from a blank grey canvas to a pitch black void. There were no birds that called or flew, no wind came in, and no waves rolled. It was only the beginning of the night, and everything had fallen asleep.

Yang made sure to witness firsthand that Adam went to bed. She went up to the lighthouse to check in on him. He claimed to have not been hungry, so she didn’t get him any food. She told him that she would begin her “search” for Blake in the morning, another fib that he seemingly accepted. Once he gone upstairs and went to sleep, almost immediately she heard him snore, it became time to enact their plan.

She headed back to the guest house and told Blake that it was time. Both of them soon headed down the slope within the cliffs, they quietly raced towards the dock. It was almost as old as the lighthouse, built for ships to stop here and provide provisions for the wickie. And even though the dock hadn’t seen such ships for a few days now, that troublesome fact hadn’t been on Yang’s mind right now.

The pair breezed down the wooden structure and came upon Adam’s fishing boat. Yang could see a name painted on its side, which read as “Wilt & Blush.” It’s a decently sized ship, they were both able to get onto the deck. She started to search through fishing equipment strewn throughout the stained deck. The man apparently didn’t keep his things organized, which made her all the more disgusted by him. 

“Come on… where is it?” Yang muttered, irritated with the slow progress.

“You won’t find it under any of that,” Blake mentioned.

“Well, he certainly likes to leave a mess,” Yang commented off-handedly. “Makes things difficult to find for.”

“Adam wouldn’t risk it getting lost or damaged,” her guest clarified. Yang stood up to look at her, almost unsure by what she meant. “He found out I’m dying, so he made sure to keep it safe. He wouldn’t let me die before he could use me.”

“… So that means he has it kept in discretion,” Yang realized. “But it’s still here somewhere. He was stupid enough to tell me it’s here.”

“But  _ where _ in here??”

“That, I don’t know yet,” she admitted.

Yang looked around, she walked past the mast and into the open bridge. She gazed across the counter, the navigation controls, and even the ship’s wheel, but saw no sign of any sealskin. Then, as she looked down she saw a small door, large enough for a person to squat and fit through, held closed by a simple sliding lock. 

Curious, she pulled the bolt and unlocked the door to find a cabin below deck. It was a simple and small room, outfitted with some cushioned bench to sit on, but that was not what interested her. Placed on the seating was a small chest, dark brown with some rusty metal outlining. There was tape on the box, the word “important” written on it.

“Uh… I think I found something!” Yang called out. She took the chest with her and stepped out of the cabin.

“What is it?” Blake asked.

“This,” Yang declared as she showed her the dirtied item.

Blake raised her brows looking at it. “This… could be anything.”

“Yeah, or it could be something,” Yang replied.

“Well, how do we open it?” Blake inquired. Yang observed and looked over the box’s features, and found that it had a keyhole at the center of it. 

“… Ah dammit,” Yang cursed. She tried to pry it open herself, disappointed that it wouldn’t dislodge.

“Was there a key anywhere with it?” Blake enquired.

“No…” Yang sadly answered.

Blake sighed, “I doubt it would be in such a small thing. He must have lied about it being here.”

Yang wasn’t ready to give up, she needed to know if something was inside the box or not. She didn’t know if it was just an intuition or if she had any clue to its contents, but she felt that something about it is important. She didn’t see any useful tools around here that’d help her open it up, and she didn’t know if they had enough time to look for a key. As she stared at the deck directly and tapped it with her foot to test its sturdiness, she decided to test a drastic idea.

She raised the box over her head, “Hope this doesn’t wake anything.”

Blake looked at her puzzled, “What do you–!”

With all her strength, Yang threw the box down onto the deck. To her luck and amazement, some of the wood used to make the chest partially cracked open upon the impact. It may have been an old box, but Yang was grateful for the arm strength she developed. It was thanks to all the exercises and weightlifting she had managed to do while living on her own.

“Yang!” Blake exclaimed, exasperated by what she just did.

“Wait, look!” Yang called out and picked up the broken box. She didn’t waste any time, she pried at the shattered wood on the lid and tore off whatever piece she could.

With a big enough hole in the box, they could see something shine from within. Despite the dark sky that hung over them and provided no light, an object sparkled brightly inside the box. Cautiously, Yang reached in and grasped something that felt like velvet. She carefully started to pull it out of the hole, she hoped it would not get snagged on any of the wood. 

Eventually, she drew out an entire article of clothing, seemingly a dress, out of the broken chest. She was mesmerized by the shine it sported, like it was brand new but there was something mystical about it. She tossed away the box and held the clothing with both hands to spread out. She saw that it was not exactly a dress, it was more like a piece of fabric large enough to encompass a whole person. It was colored in both a light grey and a dark blueish grey, but there was a large dark red spot splotched over a portion of it.

“What is this…?” Yang questioned, utterly captivated by the peculiar cloth she had before her.

“This… this is it!” Blake cried to get Yang’s attention. “It’s my sealskin!”

“It is?!” Yang shouted in surprise. It was on Adam’s ship after all! With the item they searched for finally found, the key to Blake continued survival, they had to act this instant. “Quick! Put it on!”

Blake swiftly nodded, immediately started to discr the spare clothes she wore and threw them to the deck. Yang looked away; her face was already flushed. Now wasn’t the time to see her nude yet again, twice in one day no less. Blake took the sealskin from her and wrapped it around her body. The dark-haired selkie moved to the ship’s edge and stepped onto it. Yang remembered that Blake had to put it on in water and realized that she intended to jump into the sea now. 

However, as suddenly as she acted, Blake hesitated at the last moment. She just stood there on the edge of the boat and stared out into the water. Yang couldn’t believe she just stopped. Blake has the very thing that would ensure her survival, all she had to do was put it on in the water. Yet there she stood, and she didn’t move an inch

“Blake…? What’s wrong?” Yang asked in concern.

Blake didn’t say anything before she respired, “… If I put this on, I’ll go back to my old life.”

“… Isn’t that what you want?” Yang questioned, confused at the implications. “And you’ll be healed too, right?”

“Yes, but…” Blake hesitated, but spoke again when she turned her head to look at Yang directly. 

“If I do, I won’t come back here,” she revealed, which stunned Yang. “The sea is my home, it’s home to every selkie. It calls to us and we always answer it. If I go back, I don’t think I’ll be able to come back here. I… won’t see you, ever again. I… I don’t know if…”

Blake didn’t finish her statement, apparently incapable of doing so. Yang could only gaze at her with wide eyes, she barely processed what her guest just said. She didn’t expect to never see Blake again, she didn’t even prepare for it. She wasn’t sure she could handle that. She only knew her for a few days, but she wasn’t certain she could part with her now.

But if she didn’t, Blake could die. Blake seemed to contemplate whether she would stay, despite that they both knew it would kill her to do that. Yang absolutely could not let her do that, so she decided to make the less painful choice. Though, it was still extremely painful.

“… Then… I guess this is… goodbye,” Yang surmised.

“Yang…” Blake looked to with such worry and fear for the future.

“No, don’t look at me like that,” Yang decreed, she could already feel her heart break. “You have to live, okay? You can’t stay here for me.”

Blake’s eyes began to water once more and tears once more threatened to break out. Yang was certain she looked the same way, as she felt her eyes burn already. They both knew they didn’t have a choice, and it hurt them more than anything else in the world.

“Please… you have to do this,” Yang begged. “I want you to live. I have to let you go. Please.”

Blake let out a sob, one single sob, a sound that signified her distress and desperation. However, she stopped herself before she could emit any more noises like that. She took a moment to steel herself, to fortify her resolve to live. Yang watched as Blake turned back to the sea, as she looked into it, then turned back to her. She allowed a single tear to roll down her cheek.

“Thank you… for everything,” she said, before she jumped into the water.

Yang gasped and quickly stumbled over to the ship’s edge where Blake once stood. She looked over it and frantically stared down into the water. All she could see were the ripples her former guest caused from her dive. She eyed the area that surrounded her in the hopes to find any sign of Blake.

Then, to her surprise, she saw a short flash of light from the water, from where Blake had gone in. She covered her eyes to avoid being blinded, but it went away as soon as it appeared. She looked back and was astounded by what she saw next: a large, streamlined shape protrude from the water. It was the same color as Blake’s sealskin, same texture as the sealskin, only it was a living, moving thing. Despite the dark water, Yang watched it slink under the surface and then slowly swim off into the ocean.

So, Blake told the truth all along, she really was a selkie. She hadn’t been sure if it were true, it all sounded too unreal to be true. Everything felt like a fairy tale, even if it didn’t have the happy ending one would hope for. However, she cheered at her overall success tonight as she wiped away a few melancholic tears. She was so glad that she did this for Blake, elated to have given her the chance to live. She may have not wanted to let her go, but it was the right thing to do. She’d rather Blake be alive and they’d never see each other again, instead of being with her a few moments before she’d die.

With her goal achieved, she prepared to get off the ship and wondered what she’d do now. She didn’t get that chance though, when she saw who stood there and glared holes into her. Adam stood tall and furious on the docks, completely awake. She had no idea how he got there so fast, and he seemed to witness enough of her scheme to know what just happened. She didn’t know what to do as she stood on his boat, near-paralyzed by the sight of him.

Adam suddenly exhaled and closed his eyes before he spoke, “You know, I had a certain feeling she was here. Just a hunch, that’s why I came back here. I’m starting to think I should’ve believed my instincts.”

Yang gulped, nervous of what he would do. She glanced over to his waist and thought she could see some sort of shape protrude under his clothes. She wasn’t sure how she didn’t notice that from before, and she was afraid of what it could be. 

“I think I put too much trust in people,” Adam commented. “Everyone I meet, I trust them more than I should. They all end up… lying to me. I really should’ve known better.” 

Had the fear of a weapon not prevented her, Yang would have jumped over to the dock and incapacitate him. Frankly, she would jump regardless of the threat, but her instincts told her not to fight him, he could be faster than her. He already managed to hide a gun from her, so the chances of besting him didn’t seem well.

“What did she even say to you?” Adam inquired. “Did she make me seem like the bad guy? Just because I cut her skin off of her?”

Yang said nothing, she stood firm against him despite her fear.

“I’m not really a bad guy… I don’t like to hurt people,” he claimed. “I only hurt when those I want don’t  _ behave _ .”

“… You sure have a shitty way with the ladies,” Yang remarked, which made him scowl in response.

“I only wanted her to be mine. Is that too much to ask?” said Adam. “Just to be happy with someone you like?”

“It is if you literally try to kill them over it!” Yang shouted.

“… Now, to be fair, I didn’t know cutting it off would kill her over time,” he argued. “I would have given it back to her… if she behaved for me.”

“She’d rather be dead than be yours.”

The next thing she saw was Adam’s face twist into a furious snarl. However, what she didn’t see was him pulling the gun out of his pants. Yang heard an immense bang that made her ears almost pop from how close it was. A searing pain suddenly overwhelmed her and made her fall over onto the boat’s deck. She laid there for a moment, tried to regain her senses, and remember where she was, she lifted her left hand to hold her right arm. She felt warmth and wetness; she looked over to see her arm had been shot. It was only a graze, a mere flesh wound, but it was deep enough for blood to flow out.

She winced as she sat up and held her arm to keep pressure on it and stop the bleeding. She then saw Adam jump onto the boat, the smoking gun in his hand. She felt her heart drop when he turned to her with a fierce glare.

“WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT SHE WANTS?!” he roared, his voice sounded as loud as thunder. Yang shuddered at his roar, her nerves still overloaded.

Adam breathed in and out at a furious pace, but it slowed down as he calmed himself. He stood upright and he spoke again. “You don’t know Blake like I do. I’ve known her for months already. How long have you known her, days?”

Yang didn’t give him the satisfaction of answering that. He saw that she wouldn’t respond, so he continued his lecture.

“You know, it was  _ your _ lighthouse that helped me get to know her,” he proclaimed, his words confused Yang. “Months ago, I came here by chance just moments after I caught her. I couldn’t see anything in the fog. Then I saw your tower’s light, and it illuminated my path. I have you to thank, because I got to know Blake for as long as I did.”

She looked at him in horror as she recalled what he referred to. Three months ago, the one ship that she saw here that wasn’t sent by her employers, the one that had the strange dark shape on it. That was  _ him _ ? A torrent of emotions ran through her as she realized what she had indirectly assisted with. Did he torture Blake for all those months since? Did her actions allow him to do that? Could she have prevented it if she didn’t turn on the light at that time?

Too many thoughts run through her head, not all of them sensical due to the blood loss. Essentially, she felt complicit in his abuse of Blake. She desperately wished she could go back in time, make herself not turn on the light for Adam, then force him to free Blake from his ship. Sadly, she didn’t have the options to do so and never will. Even and especially now because she was likely going to die here.

“… I could make you tell me where she went, in exchange for your life,” Adam commented. “But… I doubt that you do. Which means you die tonight. Any last words?”

She didn’t ponder for too long as she thought up a single reply to forever declare her resistance against him, to her very end. She mustered up the strength to speak and answered. “Suck my dick, asshole.”

Adam grimaced at her, clearly repulsed. “What did she even see in you?” he questioned.

“It probably wasn’t exactly my humor,” she chuckled in the face of death.

Adam raised the gun and aimed for her head. Yang closed her eyes as she waited for the end, and she hated every moment for it. The last thing she thought of was her hope for Blake’s safety, her hope that Adam would never find her. She may not ever know if that would be true, but she was content with those thoughts, nonetheless.

However, when she expected to hear another gunshot, the last thing she’d ever hear, she instead heard something heavy splash from the water. The next thing she heard was a blood-curdling scream. She opened her eyes and was shocked to see a huge seal – what looked like a leopard seal apparently – on the ship’s deck. The animal’s jaws were clenched around Adam’s arm, teeth pierced his flesh, and made him drop his weapon. Yang watched as the seal thrashed him across the deck, his blood streamed down his arm, and he screamed in furious agony.

The massive creature then moved up onto the ship’s edge, leapt into the water and took Adam with it. Yang was astonished by the violent miracle she had witnessed. With whatever strength she still had, she slowly stood up to look over the edge to look for either the man or the seal. Within that second, Adam startled her when he broke out of the water, screamed for his life, and tried to move back to his ship. Before he even could touch his vessel, the seal swiftly emerged to lock its jaws around Adam’s throat, and dragged him into the water’s depths. The next moment, she could barely see blood rise up and pool in the water.

She was absolutely terrified by the savagery she witnessed. How did that happen, where did it even come from? As amazed as she was by this event, she suddenly saw bubbles come up, and the animal’s head soon appeared from the surface. Despite being thankful for Adam being gone, she realized that they were a wild animal that had no intent of saving anyone. If the seal was still hungry, she had every reason to continue fearing for her life.

However, what she didn’t expect to see were two human arms, with human hands, rising out of the water and latched onto the ship’s edge. Yang yelped in surprise and fell back from the bizarre sight. She looked back up to see a figure rise over the ship and stepped onto the deck. 

“Yang…?” the figure spoke her name, which instantly shocked Yang. Their voice was one she would now recognize anywhere.

“Blake?!”

Indeed, it was Blake who stood before her. The skin of the seal that attacked Adam was wrapped around her lithe and muscular form. She was the one who saved her, she returned somehow to save her, Yang thought. She didn’t know how or why, as she believed that they’d never see each other again. Regardless, she couldn’t be happier to see her again. Blake soon kneeled over her to check on the blonde’s wound. 

“Your arm…!” she exclaimed in shock.

“It’s just a graze… I’m fine,” Yang claimed.

“You look pale… you’ve lost some blood,” Blake observed.

“Well, didn’t say I was perfect,” Yang snipped. 

“We should get you inside,” Blake declared, then surprised Yang as the selkie woman picked her and carried her bridal style. 

She found stricken silent that Blake held her up so effortlessly and showed no strain whatsoever. Blake hopped out of the ship and onto the dock, ran down the structure then blimved up the slope, all while she carried Yang. She got over the steep incline and onto level ground, then sped towards the guest house. Blake opened the door and took Yang inside to lay her onto the living room’s sofa.

While inside, with the lights turned on and able to see more clearly again, Yang saw clearly how healthy Blake looked now. Her skin was a little more tan and brighter, her black hair appeared more in form and less stringy or frazzled, and her body was more fit and in shape, much less thin than before. She had already thought Blake beautiful, but she somehow became even more gorgeous now. She’s absolutely speechless.

“Do you have anything for healing?” Blake asked her.

“Oh, uh…” Yang tried to get her thoughts in order, her loss of blood and her affection for Blake made it difficult. “There’s uh… a first aid kit in the kitchen… it’s in the bottom cupboard. A red box with a white cross.”

Blake nodded, then headed into the kitchen. Yang heard a few doors open then close, but soon saw her return with the kit. She sat down carefully next to her and opened the box. She looked at it in befuddlement, unsure how to use the items inside. Yang started to realize that Blake being a selkie made sense; it explained why she doesn’t know a lot of every-day objects, contraptions, and other things that humans made.

“Here, let me show you what to do,” Yang offered, to which Blake gratefully nodded.

She directed Blake to use the alcohol in the kit to clean the wound. After she did so and let the sting go away, she had her put on the antibiotic cream, then lastly guided her to wrap the gauze around it. Yang felt a little proud as she taught her how to deal with injuries this way. 

However, as Blake did so, tears started to fall from her face, which caught Yang by surprised. She looked up at her, Blake was unable to lift her head up, her hair concealing some of her expression

“I’m… I’m sorry…!” Blake wept, powerless to face her. “If–If I didn’t le–leave then he–he wouldn’t–!”

“Blake, no,” Yang interrupted, which made Blake look up at her. “He found out what we did on his own. You couldn’t have prevented it, okay? This isn’t your fault.”

“But… but…!” Blake tried to retort, her sniffles hindered her ability to speak

“It’s okay, Blake… I’m okay,” Yang assured her, raising her uninjured left arm and cupping Blake’s face with her hand. “I’m just… so glad you’re alive…!”

The selkie grasped Yang’s hand with her own and continued to cry. “I… I won’t leave you like that again… I swear.”

“… I know you won’t,” Yang responded, even if she didn’t know if she would or not. They stayed on the couch like this for a good while, Blake sobbed into Yang’s hand while she gazed at her consolingly. 

The nightmare was finally over, and they are free.

[—————]

The next morning, Yang sat in her bed and still wore her nightwear, the sheets covered up to her waist. She rested from her life threatening experience last night. She couldn’t look too far out the window from where she was, but the sky still looked as gray as ever. Although, she noticed it was a little brighter out than it ever was before. She found it nice to stay inside for once, not go outside to work in the lighthouse, albeit due to her injury and Blake had made her stay inside.

She thought of what happened, processed what took place just a little over a week. She met a stranger, who turned out to be a selkie, and they fought a man who wanted to make that stranger his. And they killed him. She let that thought sink in her mind, the realization that she was complicit in someone’s murder, even if Blake did it to save her. Frankly, she was glad Adam was gone, she was happy that she was alive instead of him, but the fact remained still that he was dead. For now, it was a fact they’d have to keep secret. She didn’t know what Blake did to him underwater, but it didn’t seem his body would emerge anytime soon.

With Adam out of the way, Yang wondered what would happen now. What would she do until a ship from her employers finally arrived? It didn’t feel like it would be the same to just go back and work. Would she even send in her resignation letter? She didn’t know, it’d only feel wrong to just leave Blake behind like that. Ruby might get mad if Yang just decided to stay in Scotland, to settle down instead of visit family.

But what would Blake do, though? Did she plant to return to the sea, to return to life as a seal? She said it herself that selkies were pulled to the sea and couldn’t resist, let alone choose to do so. Then again, she did return at the last second to save Yang’s life. Was she really able to resist the call of her home, or did she just fulfill some obligation to her before she’d go back?

Yang didn’t know what Blake would do. She told her that she’d stay with her to make sure her wound healed, but she wasn’t sure if Blake didn’t mean that as other than temporarily. She couldn’t figure out Blake’s plans on her own, all she could do was wait to act until she knew. Frankly, she started to have a sour view on patience.

She then heard a knock at the door. She turned her head towards it and saw Blake stand in the open doorway. She wore a striped shirt and shorts, another set of Yang’s spare clothing. She had an apprehensive look on her face, but Yang gazed at her with a smile. 

“Hey,” Yang greeted, she tried her best to look upbeat as usual.

“… Hey,” Blake replied back. “Can I… come in?”

“Sure,” Yang answered happily. “You don’t have to ask.”

Blake took a moment, but she soon walked into the bedroom and quickly came up to Yang’s right side on the bed. “How’s your arm?” she asked.

“It’s… numb, and hard to move,” Yang admitted. “But it’ll get better.”

“That… is good,” Blake sighed in relief.

“You can sit down, if you want,” Yang offered. “You don’t have to stand around and be so serious around me,”

Blake hesitated but she sat down on the bed next to her, cautious of where Yang was. “I’m not causing any discomfort?”

“I’d never feel uncomfortable around you,” Yang declared.

“O–Oh… okay,” Blake replied, her face got a little flushed which elicited a snicker from Yang. She really was pretty, Yang thought, and she really didn’t want to part with her.

“So… what happens now?” Yang asked, she needed to know what the future for them would be like exactly.

“… I don’t know,” Blake stated, which surprised Yang. “I was going to ask you that.”

“Oh, well… I guess I don’t know either,” Yang said sheepishly. Blake didn’t respond, she only looked down to the floor nervously. An awkward pause managed to form between them. Yang wasn’t really sure what to do, how to have this conversation, anxious if she should share some certain feelings that may not be mutually expressed.

“… I didn’t expect to see you again,” she broke the silence to get Blake’s attention. “Because of what you said, I really thought that was it. I… don’t know why that didn’t turn out like that, but… I’m glad you didn’t go away.”

“I had to come back,” Blake claimed. “I heard the gunshot before I could get out too far into the sea and I knew what was happening. If I didn’t come back… I don’t think either of us would be here now.”

“But how’d you come back?” Yang inquired, she desperately needed to know. “You said selkies can’t resist the sea calling to them.”

“That’s still true, it will always call to us, but… there is  _ one _ way to resist it,” Blake explained. “If we experience a strong emotion in regard to the land, or have some unfinished business there, then we could control ourselves from going out to sea.”

“Really?” Yang questioned, a little amazed by this information.

“I didn’t know if that was true,” Blake admitted. “It was one of the last things my mother taught me before she left. I’ve never had this feeling until now.”

Yang was astonished, but then she wondered what exactly Blake felt to make her come back. Had it been an actual emotion? If so, what emotion influenced her? If not, then was it just an obligation to her for the return of her sealskin? Yang wasn’t certain, a strong sense of doubt already started to creep up in her mind.

“You shouldn’t have helped me,” Blake remarked, which made Yang blink in confusion. “I think you would have been better off not knowing me.”

“Blake… I told you already, I wanted to help you,” she retorted.

“But you got hurt,” Blake countered. “Adam would have killed you if I didn’t come back. I told you how dangerous he was. You wouldn’t have gotten hurt if you didn’t care about me…”

“I don’t care that he shot me!” Yang exclaimed. “I wanted you to get better, okay? I understood the risks when you told me them. I’d do it again if I knew I could’ve gotten worse than hurt.”

“But why?” Blake questioned, unable to comprehend Yang’s reasons. “Why would you risk your life for me?? You don’t even know me that well.”

“I… I don’t know, alright?” Yang partially admitted. “Maybe because it’s just right to help people, or maybe because I didn’t want you to die, or maybe… maybe…”

She fumbled with her words, cautious to reveal something that Blake may not like to hear. She didn’t know if she should say this next, but it killed her to keep this inside. It very much killed her to not tell the truth, even if it was figurative. She was scared to be honest, but she knew she’d regret it if she didn’t come clean. She took a few seconds, just a few, before she decided on what to say.

“… Maybe it’s because I’m in love with you.”

She admitted it. The one thing she hadn’t been honest about with herself or Blake for days, until this instant. Now she knew, the world around them knew, and Blake especially knew the truth. A weight felt lifted off her shoulders, but she still prepared to bear the weight of another one.

Blake didn’t answer at all, she only stared wide-eyed and astounded at Yang by the reveal. The blonde looked down, she feared that she said something wrong after all.

“I know we haven’t really… known each other for long,” Yang sadly acknowledged. “It hasn’t even been a week since I first met you. But… the way I feel about you… it’s almost unreal. Whenever I see you, or hear you, or even think about you, I feel so bright and sunny. You’ve made me happy these past few days, Blake. I can’t stop feeling like this about you.”

She got no response yet, which made her even more fearful of repercussions to come. “If… you don’t feel the same, if you’ve only felt obligated to care for me, then I get it. I’ve been planning to leave this place, anyway, so… maybe it’s best if we–!”

The next thing she heard, the last thing she expected to hear, was a sincere chuckle. Yang looked up to her guest and saw Blake laugh lightly in answer to all of this.

“What… what’s so funny?” Yang questioned, utterly confused.

“It’s… it’s not funny, exactly,” Blake said in-between giggles. “It’s just… I find your words very incredible.”

“… I’m trying to put out my heart and soul here,” Yang pouted.

“I’m sorry,” Blake continued to chuckle. “I know you’re being serious.”

“I am!” Yang exclaimed. “I’m trying to make sure I didn’t freak you out!”

“You don’t even know how I feel,” Blake pointed out.

“Alright then, how do you feel?!” Yang asked frustratedly.

“I feel the same.”

She what.

“You… what?”

“I’m in love with you too, Yang,” Blake proudly declared.

Yang felt herself short-circuit that instant, completely blindsided by Blake’s own confession. This entire time she prepared herself to be rejected, the effort to build up that fortitude felt immediately wasted. Her whole composure crumbled, and her mind became a disaster of emotions. She wasn’t sure how to respond now, fairly certain she just lost her entire cool appearance in front of her apparently mutual crush.

“Do… do you, uh… m-mean it?” Yang slightly stuttered, unsure if Blake herself was serious or only said it to make her feel better.

Blake’s response was to reach over and grasped Yang’s right hand, she gently held it to not cause any ache.

“Yang… you’ve been nothing but kind, generous, and caring towards me since I’ve met you,” said Blake. “I know I haven’t known you well either, but… I started falling for you when I first looked into your eyes.” Yang’s face turned obscenely red at the selkie’s words.

“And you should know something important,” Blake informed her. “What I felt when I resisted the sea’s call, the feeling that compelled me to come back and save you… it was love. Love for you, and you alone. So, believe me, I mean it when I say I feel the same.”

She’s stunned to silence, incapable of a proper response. However, despite all the shock and bewilderment, she felt herself turn happy. She could feel deep within herself a strong elation arise, and it became stronger and stronger with the second. The person she was in love with, who she had been certain would feel different, felt the same way about her. All of her incredulity could not compare to the pure joy she felt at this revelation, even if she didn’t show it yet.

“… You know what’s actually funny?” Blake remarked, which made Yang raise a brow in question. “This feels like one of those fairytales you humans write, with how fast this all happened.”

Yang blinked in surprise, but soon let out a good laugh at the observation. “Yeah… I guess it is like a fairytale.”

They both heartily laughed at their shared situation, bizarreness and all. They were eager to start a new life together, eager to see where everything would go from this point onward. Although the future wasn’t truly clear for either of them, they would brave through anything that stood in their way as long as they were together.

[—————]

The sky was bright and clear, few clouds floated around, and the sun was out and shining. The sea was active and frivolous, waves crashed into the cliffs and docks, and it was a livelier blue color now. The grass and lichens which grew atop the rocks were abundant and healthy, multiple large and small fish were seen to swim throughout the ocean, and many seagulls flew about so haughtily. It was a beautiful day in the old country of Scotland, one Yang hadn’t seen since she arrived here.

Three weeks passed since the stand against Adam. It was now around five months she lived here and worked in the old lighthouse. Though the first three months were dull as ever, the fourth and fifth had been the most life-changing event she’s experienced. She hadn’t felt so happy in years as she was on her own for so long and rand from a past she wanted to be rid of. 

Now, she found the love of her life, even if it was the strangest of circumstances, and everything felt perfect. Her arm was almost perfectly healed, thanks to how inconsequential it had been. She lived her life to the fullest and appreciated the beauty of her natural surroundings more than she did before. Funnily enough, it felt like the environment made itself a little more appreciable for her.

As for Blake, she became something of a caretaker between the two of them. She had cared for Yang as she recovered from her injury, she would do whatever Yang needed as she got her rest. It felt ironic, the formerly ailed woman she previously tended to be healthy and tended to her now. She didn’t mind a single moment of it though. The best part about their situation was that Blake managed to provide food for the both of them.

There still hadn’t been any appearance by ships sent by her employers’ organization. She was certain they had to portion out the food more and more to conserve it, but Blake proved her wrong. The most beneficial thing about being a selkie who could transform again was that she regained her ability to hunt. So, for these past few weeks, Blake would go out to sea and returned every time with food in hand. Seafood, specifically – multiple kinds of fish, crabs, lobsters, shellfish, even some octopus. The variety she would procure made dinner never turn out a bore.

Yang waited for Blake to return with food now, in fact, and let the wind flow through her voluminous golden locks. She didn’t have to wait long, as the raven-haired selkie erupted from the water, shifted from seal to human in seconds. She eagerly waved to Yang, a couple of lobsters in hand from what she could see. With an enormous smile, she strolled down the incline to meet the selkie woman she loved.

“Hey!” she happily greeted Blake once she reached her.

“Hi,” she joyfully addressed Yang back.

Yang immediately placed a quick, graceful kiss on Blake’s lips, to which she fully accepted. She got a momentary taste of sea salt, with a faint hint of lavender.

“How’d today’s catch go?” Yang asked as she raised her right hand to run it through Blake’s soaked dark hair. Just a few days ago, upon the selkie’s request, they worked together to cut and shape her once wavy mane into a shorter bob cut. Blake intended it represent the positive, healing changes in her life, and Yang simply loved how amazing it looked on her.

“As plentiful as ever,” Blake confidently remarked and triumphantly raised up all the sea-life she held.

“Awesome! You’re the best,” Yang proudly exclaimed, to which Blake beamed. 

With more food to eat and stock up, they got up to the guest house and spent the rest of their day together. That was how their life together had been so far, even if it still wasn’t exceedingly long. Maybe it wasn’t exactly incorrect to say things had gone fast between them, especially that a homicidal abductor's actions had inadvertently gotten them to meet. However, no matter how quick things had happened, they didn’t mind it. They were happy here, that was all that mattered.

Later that day, Yang decided to do a little more lighthouse work before it got too late in the evening. It had been a while since she had done any since she was busy with her recovery. She checked the ocean water for any toxicity, wrote up a few short reports on nearby animals’ behaviors. She spent a little leisure time inside too, read a few of the books in the library, even and especially finished the one on seals. Soon enough she was ready to go back to the guest house and be with Blake, eat dinner together, watch their favorite show, then go to sleep in the bed together.

When she exited the tower and entered the outside, though, she stopped dead in her tracks and stared wide eyed at the boat that came into the dock. It was one of her employers’ vessels, which finally made their way here. It was rather timely, as she worked in the lighthouse and here come one of her employers’ vessels. As the boat came to the dock, several thoughts ran through her mind – why they hadn’t come sooner, should she turn in her planned resignation, and what should she and Blake do if she did. However, she pushed her thoughts to the side for now, as she needed to meet with whoever steered the ship.

She ran down the cliff’s incline to the dock and caught up to the contact as they got out of their ship. He was some man she wouldn’t remember in the long run, just someone who did their job. He made no attempt at small talk, only gave her some food to stock up on (not that she needed such now). He didn’t ask for any reports to give in, to her surprise. Before she could even announce her intent to resign, he gave her a letter, then took the ship back to sea.

She was a little perplexed by the encounter. Weeks had passed since her last contact with her employers’, and this was how they communicate with her again? A quick drop off of stocks and a cold shoulder? It felt far from satisfying after all this time, but at least they finally resumed with such. After she watched the ship leave, Yang looked at the envelope given to her and opened it. She read the letter inside, thoroughly understood what was written on it.

And she decided she didn’t like what she read. 

She felt incredibly conflicted, even distraught somewhat. Yang soon left the dock, hiked over the steep slope, and soon reached the guest house. She entered inside and saw Blake in the kitchen, who eagerly waited for her. Blake turned around to meet her in the living room, Yang noticed that her sealskin was wrapped around her neck and shoulders, over the clothes she wore. When she saw the tense expression Yang probably had, though, the selkie’s joy turned to concern.

“What’s wrong?” Blake asked.

Yang didn’t say anything, she only somberly handed Blake the letter to read. She took it, stared at the paper for a moment. Her eyes scanned the document and widened with every line she read.

“They’re… going to destroy the lighthouse?” Blake surmised in shock.

“Yup,” Yang morosely confirmed. “Says I have two days to prepare my leave.” she headed towards the kitchen and internally wished none of this happened right now.

“But… I don’t understand?” Blake questioned the news. “Aren’t the lighthouses intended for guiding the ships? Wouldn’t they need it… not destroyed?”

“Well, like it says, the government here’s declaring this route voided,” Yang quoted. “This place won’t have a purpose anymore. They don’t want to pay for this old thing.”

“That… that’s horrible,” Blake said remorsefully.

“Yeah…” Yang muttered. Blake looked at her with a quirked brow.

“Don’t you care?” 

“What?”

“You sound like you feel apathetic towards all this,” Blake accused.

“I…” Yang sighed exasperatedly. “Of course, I care. It’s just… so frustrating.”

“This is where we met, Yang,” Blake reminisced, she looked down melancholically. “I don’t want it to be gone…”

“… I guess this is where we part, too,” Yang bitterly claimed.

The selkie looked up to her confused, “What do you mean?”

“This is your home, isn’t it?” Yang recalled. “You said selkies always return to sea.”

“I told you we can ignore the call if we feel a connection on land,” Blake responded.

“But it’s still calling to you, though?” Yang countered. “It’s still hard to resist it, isn’t it?” Blake didn’t say anything, her silence the only confirmation that Yang was right.

“I can’t stay in this country,” Yang explained. “I’m not a citizen here. I’ll have to go back to the States, and… be with my family again, I guess. And I can’t take you away from your home, Blake. That isn’t right of me to do.”

“… I see,” Blake muttered, certainly disheartened by the situation. 

Yang looked at her with a somber look, she tried hard to appear strong about this but most certainly failed at it. She didn’t want to leave this place, even if she disliked work here. She most certainly didn’t want to leave Blake, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask someone to leave their home. She didn’t feel worthy enough to make someone do that for her. To ask someone to do Such a thing for her would make her feel absolutely selfish.

Selfishness was a word she hated; an emotion that made her feel repulsed. It had been selfishness that caused her to lose her first mother in the first place. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t get the chance to talk about Raven to anyone, let alone Blake. Just an honest discussion about her biological mother, something she hadn’t even had with her father or sister.

“You know,” Yang began. “I haven’t told you what happened to my first mom.”

“Raven…?” Blake presumed. “You said you don’t talk about her?”

“Well… maybe I should,” Yang claimed. “I want to be honest with you, even if this is the last time I see you.”

Blake didn’t say anything, she waited for what her human partner had to say. After she took a deep breath in preparation, Yang let out what she had repressed for so long.

“She left.” She finally revealed. “That’s it. That’s  _ literally _ what happened. She met Dad, they fell in love and married, I’m born, and she leaves before I’m two. That’s it, just walked up and left us. She didn’t even divorce him, or even explain why, she just left!

“It’s just… one, simple thing she did, but it had so much impact on me and him. It led to Dad meeting Summer and it led to Ruby being born. It’s funny how good things came out of her leaving, but… it doesn’t change anything about what she did. She was my mother and just abandoned me. I don’t even know her, and I resent her for it.

“It’s… part of why I went out on my own, too. I’ve been trying to look for her while traveling but… I never have. Now it’s gotten me here, and I met you. It’s so weird to me how her actions shaped my life like this. And now I’m doing what she did… just leaving everything behind.”

“You have a reason to leave,” Blake interjected.

“That doesn’t change anything,” Yang retorted. “I’m just doing the same thing she did. Like mother, like daughter, huh? I’m sorry Blake… maybe you deserve better than me.”

A silence manifested between them, Yang looked down to the floor in shame. She hated selfishness, she hated when anyone acted selfishly, and she especially hated herself for how selfish she felt even now. Everything seemed to go perfect in her life, and now she had to abandon what made it perfect. She wished there was some way around it, some way to keep everything she had, but those wishes alone made her feel all the more selfish. All she could do was wallow in her loathsomeness.

“Let me come with you.”

Befuddled by the declaration, Yang looked up at Blake. “What?”

“Your home… let me go with you there,” Blake firmly stated.

She stared at the selkie with wide eyes, almost incredulous at the statement. “But… but you live here?”

Blake shook her head. “I lived in the sea, Yang. The entire sea. We don’t live in any specific part of the world unless I want to. And I want to live with you.”

“Didn’t you say you need to live in the sea, though?” Yang pointed out. “Or even a source of water would be enough?”

“That was only when I was dying,” Blake clarified. “I only need to stay in the water if I turn to be a seal again.”

“Then don’t you need to go back into a seal again?” Yang inquired. “And besides, won’t the sea still call you to come back?”

“There’s a way to counter that,” Blake claimed as she took off the glistening sealskin wrapped around her shoulders, to Yang’s puzzlement, and held up the material between them. “If I give you my sealskin, and you don’t tell me where you hide it, then I will never hear the sea call to me. I won’t even need to go back again to live.”

Yang stared at her in shock. “Blake… I can’t do that to you.”

“You’re not forcing me to do this,” Blake declared. “I’m asking you to.”

The blonde’s astonished by what Blake told her to do. She had risked her life to find and retain this material and give it back to the person who needed it. The sheer importance of it in their lives wasn’t something to be treated likely, she believed. Now, Blake told her to take it, to conceal it, and never tell her where it would be. She couldn’t dictate whether all her effort felt wasted or amplified because of it.

“But… won’t you die without it?” she asked.

Blake shook her head again, “I was dying because Adam cut it off of me. I’m fine now and I can take it off safely. If I give it to you like this, I’ll still be fine.”

“I… Blake, I don’t know…” Yang tried to make sense of it, she found it hard to do so.

“The stories of my people always speak of humans stealing our skins, hiding it to coerce us into whatever they wanted,” Blake informed her. “But I refuse to let my skin be stolen again. If it must be taken from me, I will  _ choose _ who gets to take it. It’s you who I choose, Yang.”

She found herself further dumbfounded by the woman she loved, and the choices she wanted to make. “Why me…?” she asks in a slight stupor.

“… Isn’t it obvious?” said Blake. “I love you, Yang. And I promised I won’t leave you. You’re the only one I’d choose to take my sealskin.”

“Blake…” she muttered in surprise.

“You don’t have to do what Raven did,” Blake assured her. “We don’t have to part. I can come with you… if you’ll have me.”

Yang suddenly wondered if it was really so bad to be selfish. She never felt like she had the right to be, since she had to care for Ruby while no one else could. Would it really be so bad if she got what she wanted, just this once, no matter how strange or how harmful it could be. With that opportunity presented to her, she felt as if she had to, otherwise she’d never get the chance to do so. With a decision in mind, she had one request to make, a condition before making her choice.

“Promise to me again that you won’t leave,” she asked of her lover.

“… I won’t leave you. I promise,” Blake declared without question.

Yang exhaled in relief and took the sealskin the dark-haired woman offered her. She took a moment to gaze at the magical item, then set it down on the kitchen sink counter and took the selkie into a gentle embrace. She placed her forehead against hers, she wanted to savor an intimate period of silence and comfort between them. Blake returned the hug as soon as Yang brought her into it.

“Don’t leave me,” Yang whispered desperately. “Please.”

“I won’t,” Blake softly reassured. “I promise I won’t.”

They stayed there like that for whoever or whatever knew how long, only concerned that they had their moment together. They had a goal now, they just had to work on a plan to achieve it.

[—————]

_ “I can’t lose you again.” _

__

_ “Gabrielle, I’ll always be with you…” _

It was late at night, Yang laid on the bed with Blake cuddled next to her, they both watched Xena on the former’s tablet. They had managed to get to see it weeks ago. The recovery of her arm injury had been a rather good excuse to start the show together. So far they got to the second season, and Blake was completely enamored with the series to Yang’s delight.

“So that was intentional between them?” Blake asked, who referred to Xena and Gabrielle in the episode they watched.

“The writers tried to make it ambiguous,” Yang casually explained. “But didn’t really look that way to people watching.”

“Oh~,” Blake muttered as she understood.

Yang loved this, to take the time to enjoy a show she loved with someone she loved. She had no one with her when she went out on her own, which would be jarring for her sometimes. Years of loneliness culminated into this, to be with someone she was quite certain was her soulmate. Maybe they’d gone a bit fast, maybe things were very much emotionally driven, but it was something they both wanted and gained. In the end, they were happy together.

She wondered how their life would turn out for them in the future – who would accept them, where would they live together, would they have a family, or would they grow old together. Of those thoughts, the only answer she was certain of was that Ruby & Taiyang would be ecstatic to meet Blake. They’d absolutely be happy for them she presumed, but that was the only answer for their future she could produce. She could think of the future for however long she’d like, but she was happier when in the present instead, with Blake now.

“Yang?”

“Hmm?” the blonde paused the episode to converse.

“How will we get to your homeland?” Blake asked curiously.

“… We’ll be going via plane, probably,” Yang answered.

“Plane… do you mean the giant metal birds humans ride in?” Blake surmised.

“Yeah, something like that,” Yang affirmed, she found some internal amusement in the selkie’s perception of human inventions.

“I’ve only heard stories… I didn’t think they were real,” Blake commented in fascination. “There’s going to be a lot of human things I’ll get to experience.”

“Mmhmm,” Yang hummed to confirm.

“… But I wish we could stay here,” Blake lamented. “I don’t want to see this place destroyed.”

“… Yeah, me too,” Yang agreed. “We can’t do anything about it, though… it sucks.” Blake muttered a sad sound in response to that.

“Do you want to keep watching?” Yang asked.

“… No, I think I’ve watched enough for tonight,” Blake answered. “I just want to lay beside you.”

“Alright,” Yang responded contently with a chuckle. She placed the tablet to the side, got comfortable next to Blake and shifted her arm to be around her. 

“This place is where we met… it will always be dear to me,” Blake proclaimed. “Even if there will soon be nothing here.”

“Me too, baby,” Yang comfortingly replied. “I wish it wasn’t like this.”

“Do you want to do anything before we leave?” Blake queried. “One last memory, before it’s all gone?”

“Um… nothing comes to mind for me,” Yang responded. “Do you wanna do anything?”

“… There… is something… I have in mind,” Blake answered, seemingly hesitant.

“What is it?” Yang probed.

“It’s… nothing you have to comply with.”

She raised a brow at that remark. “You can tell me, whatever it is,” Yang guaranteed. “I’m sure it’s something we can do.” 

Blake sighed before she sat and looked directly and intently at Yang. 

“Would you… want to mate with me?”

“… Wait, as in have sex?”

Blake nodded to confirm, albeit a little nervous. Of all the surprises Yang had while she lived here, this might be one of the most pleasant ones she experienced. Though in all honesty, she hadn’t been sure the topic would ever come up, nor had she expected it to. Though she seldom thought about it here and there, she didn’t think Blake had any interest in such at the moment after everything that happened. 

“Are… are you sure?” Yang asked, still uncertain if this was real.

“Only if you’d want to,” Blake replied. “I… wasn’t sure you would…”

“I mean, I’m favorable towards it,” the blonde stated. Blake let a little excitement show in reaction. “I just want to make sure  _ you _ want this.”

“I do,” Blake affirmed. “Selkies and their partners don’t typically… stay together, but we always mate with their partners if either wish it.”

“I guess we’re not a typical selkie-human couple though, huh?” Yang joked, in reference to the promise between them.

Blake laughed agreeingly, “No, I suppose we’re not.”

“… Alright, let’s do it,” Yang gladly declared, to which Blake showed more eagerness. “When did you want to try it? We don’t really have long to–!”

Before Yang knew it, Blake positioned herself to hover over her. The selkie’s legs already straddled her waist and hips, she kept herself propped up on her elbows. There was barely some space between their faces, let alone bodies, and Yang saw something fierce in Blake’s eyes. Desire, confidence, fascination, passion, and other emotions emerged in the golden pools of her eyes; Yang was certain she never saw anything or anyone so enamoring before.

“I figured now would be a good time,” said Blake candidly, her tone just now turned low and sultry.

“Oh…” Yang muttered as her only reply, her face already red as a tomato. Blake giggled in response, then soon took Yang’s lips with hers. It was slow and gentle, but soon turned lustful.

Yang’s shock didn’t let her melt into the kiss too quickly, but once she did she fell into the rhythm Blake started. Her arms wrapped around the dark-haired woman’s waist to bring them closer together. She hummed into the dominant’s mouth, elated with the intimate contact right now. Next she felt Blake’s tongue brush her lips, so she parted her lips to let it in.

She again tasted sea salt and lavender from her, she savored the experience and never got enough of it. To kiss Blake was always something she enjoyed, and she never wanted to stop it. She felt Blake’s hands shift and move around her, start to explore, to touch her, her fingers already slipped under her clothes. She moaned at the sense of her skin against hers, even if it was just a slight touch.

Yang broke the kiss to breathe, she panted from the prolonged act. “Blake… keep touching me,” she requested.

“Where should I touch you?” Blake inquired.

“Anywhere,” Yang declared. She sat up, Blake moved aside to give space, and stripped her shirt off, a light lilac bra left alone to cover her chest. She laid back on the bed, Blake came back to kiss her quick then moved to peck her jaw and neck. Yang held on to Blake as she did so, she bayed at the heat which built up within her.

Blake’s right hand brushed over Yang’s bare abdomen, a jolt of pleasure shot through her skin and core. The sensation of her muscular but sensitive stomach being touched was overwhelming, almost enough to even knock her out from pure delight. She noticed her hand move lower and soon reached the waistband of her shorts and fiddle with the button. Eager and impatient, she reaches over to undo it herself.

After she pulled them off single handedly, Yang took Blake’s hand and guided it to where she wanted, the selkie let her do so. She moved Blake’s hand to slip under her underwear, she directed it to where she was slick. As she took the selkie’s hand through skin and hair, she arrived at her destination. 

“I know what you want,” Blake whispered, which made Yang shiver. “You don’t have to guide me.”

“I just want it already,” Yang managed a reply. “I need it.”

“Then I’ll give you what you want,” Blake settled, her fingers already glided along Yang’s folds.

The blonde exhaled at the relief of Blake’s nurturing. She removed her hand from Blake’s to let her go to work, and she already became undone. Fire coursed through her body as the other woman caressed her, desire and lust pulsed with every second. Everything felt like it burned in the best way possible, and she wanted to continue to burn if it would always be like this. When she felt Blake attend to her clit, the fire increased tenfold in an instant, her breath instantly hitched.

Blake laughed, “Do you like that?”

“I… I love it,” Yang answered, her voice already weak. “Keep going.”

Blake complied, and Yang felt the selkie’s fingers shift further down then slowly enter inside. Her breath snagged again in her throat, sharper than the first time. Blake started a slow pace, but she increased over time. Yang could feel herself get lost in a storm, her head swam in so much pleasure that she was dazed. Eventually she felt her lover’s digits pump in and out of her at a quick tempo, and Yang’s mewls grew louder and louder with each thrust.

Finally, she broke, and a grand eruption threw her out of reality. Fiery waves of gratification crashed over her and she didn’t want it to stop. She almost didn’t want to land back into her realm, she wanted to be swept away by this burning decadence. However, in the throes of her haze, she thought she’d really lose herself in this world, and that Blake would lose her too. She had to come back down. She rode out the last moments of her orgasm, relaxed after her body shivered and twitched. She felt herself grounded again, unsure if she actually blacked out or not.

She heard Blake ask, “How was that?”

Yang turned her head to gaze longingly at her mystical lover. “… That was perfect,” she decreed.

“Really?” Blake replied in question. “I felt like I didn’t do something right.”

“Why’d you think that?” Yang asked, made curious by what she implied.

“I don’t know,” Blake admitted. “It might just be nerves. Did I do okay?”

“You were amazing!” Yang proclaimed and turned over to face her. “You were really feisty.”

Blake giggled, a little sheepish but still composed, “Do you like that?”

“I love it,” said the blonde. “Do that all the time, babe.”

“Alright, I’ll try,” Blake responded. “Although…”

“Although what?”

“… Maybe I’d like to see you be feisty, too,” Blake suggested with a wink. 

Suddenly Yang sensed a new burst of energy from inside her. A determination emerged within and a goal came to mind. She knew full well what Blake implied, and she now had every intention to fulfill the hidden request.

“Well then,” Yang sat up, reached behind her back, and undid her bra to expose her chest. Blake stared wide eyed at the sight. “Maybe I should show you.”

“Oh, please do,” Blake purred and let Yang position herself on top this time.

Yang brought her in for another kiss, she held Blake’s head with her right hand while her left explored her back as she slipped under her shirt. She felt Blake’s arms embrace her, her hands comb through her golden fire-like hair. Their mouths part and the kiss deepened, their tongues clashed and entangled with each other the same as before. A moan escaped from Blake and Yang enjoyed how she did so as soon as they started to make love again. 

She broke the kiss and shifted to take off the selkie’s shirt. Blake sat up to help, and the blonde had an easier time to remove it. She threw it to the side and gazed passionately at the spectacle before her, just as Blake stared wantonly at her. They were both topless and eager for the contact; Yang moved back towards her and resumed the kiss, arms entangled around them to ensure no air or space came between them. Lips to lips, chests and breasts pressed between each other, stomach against stomach – the skin-to-skin contact was immediately intense.

Yang absolutely loved how she felt Blake’s body against her, the warmth and the lust that grew in her from it intoxicated her. She almost didn’t want to stop this experience, almost wanted this to be the only thing they do for the night. Yet there were other things she wanted to try though, so she forced herself to pull away from the selkie’s mouth once more. She moved down to begin a trail of kisses down Blake’s body, and started at her neck. Blake sighed elatedly with each peck she left, which increased Yang’s satisfaction with how well this went.

The blond reached the selkie’s collarbone and took a few seconds to nip at the skin over the hard bone, Blake hummed at the sensation. Yang continued her little journey down Blake’s body as she hovered over her chest now, her eyes admiringly viewed the other woman’s assets. Fervently, she brought her mouth over to the left side to swipe and drag her tongue around the mound, while her hand caressed right. 

Blake practically sang at what Yang was doing to her, she laughed and mewled at her ministrations, and Yang felt even prouder that she made the selkie woman feel so good. She then brought her mouth to treat the right breast the same as the left, her dark-haired lover gave an equal reaction. After she did so, the blonde progressed to trace the selkie’s stomach with her lips. She reached the navel and took a moment to stroke it lightly with her tongue.

“You’re… very attentive,” Blake complimented her between moans.

“I try to be,” Yang confidently replied, still exploring even further below.

Yang came to the pants Blake wore. She took a second to work at the button and zipper; she grabbed them by the waistband and gently pulled the article of clothing off. Blake gave no complaint, only welcomed it. With the trousers gone, she was now met by the underwear Blake wore. She looked up to the other woman, silently asking if she could remove them too. Blake nodded, and Yang carefully disposed of it. 

She was soon greeted by Blake’s bare, glistening sex, nearly hypnotized by it and eagerly ready to taste it. With a plan in mind, Yang brought her lips to Blake’s left leg and trailed hard, teasing kisses down to the inner thigh. She moved over to do the same to the right, and Blake watched with pleasured anticipation as she waited for what she really wanted. The blonde liked to make her lover wait, but she was eager for this too. Done with the teases, she took her mouth to her heated center.

Blake emitted the loudest wail she had since their session began, immediately relieved by what Yang would do to her right now. Yang herself was surprised by the taste, almost something savory and sweet. She very much enjoyed it. However, right now she wanted to focus on her lover’s enjoyment in favor of her own. So, without any hesitation, she went to work. She pulled every technique she knew to make Blake squirm; she used her tongue and gave every bit of her attention to her clit and lips. After a while she gently slid two fingers into her entrance and set a slow, pleasurable rhythm.

The dark-haired selkie kept up voicing her pleasure, her whimpers grew louder and louder with every moment. Finally, when what felt like several minutes had subsequently passed, Blake screamed and her body shook. Yang kept her fingers inside Blake to ride out her climax and looked up to proudly see Blake spasm. She felt like she just accomplished the greatest thing in her life, to bring her lover to come. It was currently the proudest moment of her life she decided, and definitely a final memory to have here.

After Blake rode out the last moments of her orgasm, Yang crawled up to her once she was relaxed and calm. “Hey,” said Yang warmly.

Blake turned her head to her, clearly tired from the event. “Hi,” she greeted back.

Yang chuckled, “How’d I do?”

“Amazingly,” Blake scored. “That’s better than anything I could do for you.”

“Aw, you sure?” Yang questioned amusedly. “I thought you were amazing too.”

“Mm, I don’t know,” Blake muttered, “I just feel… a thousand times better right now,”

“Okay, okay,” Yang laughed. 

As she felt her own tiredness set on, Yang figured now was a good time for them to sleep. She stood up and stripped off her underwear, the last covering she had since they started this. She got up the covers, pulled down the sheets, and got Blake under them. Yang walked around the bed to turn off the lamp, which engulfed the house in darkness. She then got under the sheets with Blake and wrapped her lover in a tight embrace.

“How was this for a last memory?” Yang asked.

“Better than I hoped for,” Blake answered.

Yang chuckled at the response, completely in agreement, then allowed sleep to take over. This was a perfect night, to make love to the most important person in the world to her and then sleep together with them. Sadly, it was bittersweet, since it was the only time that they could do this in the place they met. They may have times like this again when they move into the US, but this had been a special moment for them, a night so sacred that they’d remember it for the rest of their lives.

There really wouldn’t be any night like this one.

[—————]

Two days later, they witnessed the end of the lighthouse. Construction teams arrived late in the morning, yet they were already prepped to destroy everything. Yang watched them bring in their equipment, their trucks, and all their other tools to destroy her former workplace. She and Blake had cleaned out their belongings from both the lighthouse and guest house, while her employers came to take the books and whatever else they provided to her to work with. Though, they allowed her to keep the book on seals.

Now, they watched them deconstruct the buildings from a distance, barred off from the property as they started working. This was it, former wickie realized – the end of her life here. Twenty five years of her life, marred by abandonment and solitude, all led up to a place where she never thought she’d find love. She did though, and now she didn’t want to leave it. She didn’t want to leave this beautiful country, one she used to believe was dull. She didn’t want to leave her second home.

She felt a single, heavy tear drop and roll down her cheek. A low sob escaped her throat, despite her best efforts to stifle it. She didn’t want to feel this way, to feel so attached to this place, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted to be a little strong, be someone to act as support, but that hadn’t been entirely possible. Instead, the former lighthouse keeper hadn’t known how much this land meant to her until now.

Before any more sadness or regret could be expressed, Yang felt her left hand grasped. She looked down to see Blake held her hand with her own, her grip firm and comforting. When she looked up to Blake herself, she saw nothing but empathy in the selkie’s expression. Despite everything being taken from them now, they were still together. Nothing pulled them apart – not a self-centered attacker nor a change in housing circumstances – and it seemed that nothing else would in the future.

“It’s okay,” Blake consoled. “We’ll be here for each other, wherever we’ll be.”

Yang sniffled at first, then managed to smile in return. “Yeah… we’ll be here for each other.”

This was their happy ending. It may be bittersweet, but it was still a happy one and it was theirs. Whatever would come across them in the future, they’d take it on together. Reminded of their “future,” Yang reached into her pocket with her free hand and pulled out her cellphone. She dialed her younger sister’s number and called, prepared to finally tell her she was set.

“… Hey Rubes, it’s me,” Yang announced once the other line picked up. “I know it’s kinda been a while, but I’m letting you know I’m ready to leave.”

As she spoke, she looked at Blake once more and gave her a grin. She smiled back immediately, which made Yang feel warm and loved.

“… And I’m bringing someone with me,” she proclaimed happily, ready to explain just about everything to Ruby.

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s note, 11/15/20:
> 
> Hello! This is my fic for the Bumbleby Big Bang of 2020!
> 
> I haven’t written any fanfics in a long while, so this was an opportunity to get back into my groove! I had a lot of ideas I wanted to try out, but I chose this story to be my entry into the big bang because of how confined it was – having only four characters and focusing primarily on Blake & Yang. It was also an attempt at writing something that’d be the reading equivalent of watching a movie, so I had fun with that! Also, I had a lot of fun to work with my wicked artist partner Snowy at cinderteeth.tumblr.com! See their art piece accompanying my fic linked in the top note!
> 
> Thank you for reading my Bumbleby Big Bang fanfic! I hope everyone enjoyed it! It’s far from perfect, but I hope it is suitable to one’s tastes!


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